Infusion pump having an alarm signal

ABSTRACT

A pump for delivering insulin to a user comprises a pump mechanism, an alarm and a timer and an alarm program in data communication with the alarm and the timer. The alarm program module is programmed to operate a plurality of types of alerts and to associate a predetermined interval of time and a predetermined event with a selected type of alert. An alarm signal can be generated by the alarm program module based on the predetermined event and interval.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/087,449filed Feb. 28, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,504,179, which is hereby fullyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to insulin pumps, and more particularly,to insulin pumps having a missed meal bolus alarm.

BACKGROUND

A large portion of the world's population suffers from diabetes. Many ofthese people need to take injections of insulin to normalize the levelof sugar in their bodies to prevent complications. Such complicationscan include kidney failure, loss of circulation, and blindness. The needto manually take injections with a syringe and the process ofdetermining the dose for various shots can be a great inconvenience andcan limit a diabetic's activities and restrict their movements.Furthermore, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent level of bloodglucose because there is a practical limit to the number of injectionsthat most patients can receive.

One solution to reduce some of the problems associated with the manualinjection of insulin is an ambulatory pump that delivers insulin to thediabetic user. Such insulin pumps can provide a more consistently normallevel of blood glucose, which reduces the risk of complications fromdiabetes. However, current pumps still have practical limits to theirprogramming that make them cumbersome to program and that limits thepotential of the pump to provide even greater control over blood glucoselevels.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention is a method of operating an insulinpump. The insulin pump is configured to selectively deliver a mealbolus. The method comprises entering into the pump a start time for aninterval; entering into the pump an end time for the interval; andgenerating an alarm signal if a meal bolus is not delivered during theinterval.

Another aspect of the present invention is a pump for delivering insulinto a user. The pump comprises a pump mechanism and a meal-bolus programmodule. The meal-bolus program module is programmed to control the pumpmechanism to deliver a meal bolus. An alarm program module is in datacommunication with the alarm, the timer, and the meal-bolus programmodule. The alarm module is programmed to generate an alarm signal whenthe meal-bolus program module does not control the pump mechanism todeliver a meal bolus within a predetermined period of time.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of a pump that embodies the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the pump shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a suspend operation executed by the pump shown inFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates setting time and date operating parameters in thepump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates setting alert styles in the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and2;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate lock and unlock operations executed by the pumpshown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 8 illustrates setting time and date formats in the pump shown inFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 9 illustrates setting alerts and reminders in the pump shown inFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate setting operational parameters related to thepump history for the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate setting operational parameters for the basal ratedelivery programs executed by the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 15-17 illustrate setting operational parameters for the temporaryrate delivery programs executed by the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate setting the operational parameters for thecorrection bolus delivery programs executed by the pump shown in FIGS. 1and 2;

FIGS. 20-27 illustrate setting the operational parameters for the mealbolus delivery programs executed by the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 28 illustrates the operations of setting and delivering an audiobolus on the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 29 illustrates the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 communicating with acomputer;

FIGS. 30A-30E illustrate a user interface on the computer illustrated inFIG. 29.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detailwith reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numeralsrepresent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views.Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of theinvention, which is limited only by the scope of the claims attachedhereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification arenot intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the manypossible embodiments for the claimed invention.

The logical operations of the various embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein are implemented as: (1) a sequence of computerimplemented steps, operations, or procedures running on a programmablecircuit within a computer, (2) a sequence of computer implemented steps,operations, or procedures running on a programmable circuit within apump for delivering insulin; and/or (3) interconnected machine modulesor program engines within the programmable circuits.

The various embodiments execute or utilize operating parameters, whichcustomize or personalize operation of the computer implemented steps,machine modules, and programs to meet the requirements of individualpump users. The operating parameters can be numerical values, textstrings, flags, argument names, or any other aspect of the insulin pumpprogramming that the user can set to control operation of the pump.

Additionally, the pump generates and presents information and fields inuser interfaces, which are also referred to as displays. The userinterfaces can include fields, alpha/numeric character strings, times,and dates. The fields, also referred to as cells, prompt users to enterand/or select information. Because there is not an alpha/numerickeyboard on the pump, each of the field is associated with a spin boxthat includes values the user can enter into the field. The user spinsor scrolls through values until the desired value is visible within thefield. When the user selects the visible value it is entered into thefield. The user selects a value with a Next function, Edit function, orSelect function as identified herein. When the pump displays a field andthe field has focus, it is said to prompt the user to select a value.Additionally, selecting a value in a field causes the pump to indexfocus to the next field as defined by the programmed operations or todisplay the next user interface as defined by the programmed operations.In an alternative embodiment, the pump has an alpha/numeric keyboardfrom which operating parameters can be typed directly into the pump.

The description set forth herein discusses pumping insulin. One skilledin the art will realize that many of the features, structures, andmethods disclosed herein can be used with medical infusion pumps fordelivering agents other than insulin. The term “user” generally appliesto the person who is receiving insulin from the pump. In many contexts,however, the user could also refer to any other person such as acaregiver that is operating the pump.

A. Pump Architecture

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating one of many possibleembodiments of an insulin pump, generally identified as 100. Amicroprocessor 102 is in electrical communication with and controls apump motor 104, a screen 106, an audible alarm 108, and a vibratoryalarm 110. Other embodiments can use a microcomputer, or any other typeof programmable circuit, in place of the microprocessor.

The pump motor 104 drives a drive mechanism 112 that pushes a plungermechanism 114. The plunger mechanism 114 ejects insulin from an insulincartridge (not shown). The insulin cartridge contains a supply ofinsulin for delivery to a patient. These mechanical components areillustrated and discussed in commonly assigned U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/086,646, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,033,338, entitled Cartridge andPump With Axial Loading, the disclosure of which was hereby incorporatedby reference above.

The screen 106 can have many different configurations such as an LCDscreen. As explained in more detail herein, the screen 106 displays auser interface that presents various items of information useful to apatient or caregiver. The audible alarm 108 is a beeper, and an alarmprovides actual alarms, warnings, and reminders. Similar to otherportable electronic devices such as a cellular telephone, the vibratoryalarm 110 provides an alarm to either supplement the audio alarms orreplace the audio alarm when an audible beep would be disruptive or notheard. A user can selectively enable or disable the audible 108 andvibratory 110 alarms. In one possible embodiment, however, both theaudible 108 and vibratory 110 alarms cannot be disabled at the sametime.

The microprocessor 102 is in electrical communication with both a randomaccess memory (RAM) 116 and a read only memory (ROM) 118, which areonboard the pump 100 but external to the microprocessor 102 itself. Inone possible embodiment, the microprocessor 102 includes internal memoryas well. The RAM 116 is a static RAM that stores data that can changeover time such as pump settings and a historical log of eventsexperienced by the insulin pump 100. The ROM 118 stores code for theoperating system and the application programs. The ROM 118 can be anytype of programmable ROM such as an EPROM. In one possible embodiment,the RAM 116 has 500 kilobytes of memory capacity and the ROM 118 has 2megabytes of memory capacity.

An infrared (IR) port 120 is in electrical communication with themicroprocessor. As explained in more detail below, the IR port 120provides data communication with an external device such as a computerfor programming an application program, programming pump settings, anddownloading historical data logs. The insulin pump 100 can include othertypes of communication ports in place of or in addition to the IR port120. Examples of other possible communication ports include a radiofrequency (RF) port or a port that provides a hard-wired datacommunication link such as an RS-232 port, a USB port, or the like.

A real-time clock 122 provides a clock signal to the microprocessor 102.An advantage of having a real-time clock 122 is that it provides theprogram with the actual time in real-time so that the programs executedby the insulin pump can track and control the actual time of day thatinsulin delivery and other events occur. Various durations describedhere are used for alerts, alarms, reminders, and other functions. In onepossible embodiment, the timers are formed by the real-time clock 122and software executed by the microprocessor 102.

A keypad 124 also provides input to the microprocessor 102. Althoughother possible types of keypads are possible, one type of keypad hasfour buttons and is a membrane-type of keypad, which provides resistanceto water and other environmental conditions. The keypad 124 containssoft keys for which the function of the keys can change as a userexecutes different menu selections and commands.

Other inputs into the microprocessor 102 include a pressure sensor 126,which is sensitive to the pressure within a reservoir of insulin; acartridge sensor 128, which is sensitive to the presence of an insulincartridge; and a motion detector 130, which detects motion of a gear(not shown) in the drive mechanism 112. The pressure sensor 126,cartridge sensor 128, and motion detector 130 are described in moredetail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/086,646, now U.S. Pat. No.7,033,338, which is entitled Cartridge and Pump With Axial Loading, thedisclosure of which was incorporated by reference above.

Referring to FIG. 2, the pump 100 is packaged in a housing 132. Thekeypad 124 is positioned on a first portion of the housing 132, and thescreen 106 is positioned on a second portion of the housing 132.Additionally, the screen 106 has two portions, a display portion 134 anda template portion 136. A user interface is presented in the displayportion 134 of the screen 106.

The template portion 136 provides a template that indicates the functionassigned to each of the keys on the keypad. In the embodimentillustrated in the drawings, the keypad 124 has a first function key 138and a second function key 140, and an up key 142 and a down key 144. Theup and down keys 142 and 144 are for scrolling or spinning throughoperating parameters that are presented in a spin box associated with afield or between pages present within a user interface such as the homepages as described below. Additionally, a first portion 146 in thetemplate identifies the function assigned to the first function key 138,and a second portion 148 identifies the function assigned to the secondfunction key 140. A center portion 150 of the template presents an uparrow corresponding to the scroll direction of the up key 142, and adown arrow corresponding to the scroll direction of the down key 144.

B. Home Page

In one possible embodiment, the insulin pump 100 is controlled by amenu-driven application program that is stored in the ROM 118 andexecuted by the processor 102. The application program also isparameter-driven in that the outcome or steps executed by the variousapplication programs depend on the operating parameters set by the user.Examples of outcomes and steps that depend on the operating parametersinclude delivery rates, delivery schedules, delivery amounts, thegeneration and presentation of menus, and the like.

The application program presents a home page 152 in the display portion134 of the screen 106. The home page 152 includes a first icon 154 thatillustrates the amount of insulin remaining in the insulin cartridge.This first icon 154 has the shape of a syringe and a bar 156 arrangedrelative to the syringe shape to illustrate the amount of remaininginsulin. The amount of remaining insulin also is quantified and listedbelow the first icon 154. A second icon 158 has the shape of a batteryand has a bar 160 arranged relative to the battery-shape to illustratethe amount of remaining battery life. The percentage of remaining lifeon the battery is positioned below the second icon 158.

In one possible embodiment, the home page 152 presents the currentstatus 162 of the insulin pump's 100 operation. In the example set forthin the illustration, the insulin pump 100 is delivering insulin at arate of 1.15 units per hour according to a first basal schedule. Thehome page 152 also presents the name 166 of the active delivery programit is executing and personal information 168 as programmed by the user.In the illustrated example, the personal information it displays is abanner “Mary's Pump,” which identifies the owner of the insulin pump100. Other examples of information that might be included in thepersonal field includes medical information about the pump user similarto that information included on a medical alert bracelet such asallergies and the fact that the patient is diabetic, more detailedinformation about the patient including the patient's full name,telephone number, and address, detailed information about the user'scaregiver such as the name and telephone number of the user's physician,and a warning that the pump 100 is an insulin pump and should not beremoved from the user.

Furthermore, the pump 100 can be configured to present more than onehome page. In this embodiment, the user scrolls through the home pagesusing the up and down keys 142 and 144. For example, other home pagesmight include the date, time, and amount of the last bolus delivered bythe insulin pump; contact information about the patient's caregiver;medical information about the patient such as a list of the user'sallergies, a warning that the user is a diabetic, and a warning that thepump is an insulin pump and should not be removed.

The pump 100 displays an icon 170 in the home page 152 to identify thedisplayed page as the home page. Additionally, the icon 170 can includea page number to indicate which home page is currently being displayed.One possible shape for the home page icon is an icon having the shape ofa house.

C. Suspending Delivery

Referring to FIG. 3, when the pump 100 is displaying the home page itassigns a suspend function 172 to the first function key 138 and a menufunction 174 to the second function key 140. Accordingly, pressing thefirst function key 138 initiates a suspend pumping operation. If thepump 100 has an active delivery program in addition to the standardbasal delivery program, the pump 100 displays a list of options thatprompts 173 the user to select whether to suspend all active deliveryprograms or just one of the active delivery programs other than thestandard delivery program. In one embodiment of the pump 100, there arethree possible ways to deliver additional amounts of insulin over anextended period—an extended bolus, a combination bolus, and a temporaryrate, all of which are described in more detail herein.

In the example set forth in FIG. 3, the pump 100 has an active temporaryrate delivery program so the pump 100 prompts the user to select whetherto suspend all active delivery programs or just the temporary ratedelivery program by scrolling to the desired delivery program tosuspend. The user then activates a Select function 194, which isassigned to the second function key 140.

After the user activates the Select function 194, the insulin pump 100prompts 176 the user to confirm suspension of the selected delivery,whether it is all delivery, the extended bolus, the combination bolus,or the temporary rate. The user can confirm the suspend operation byactivating the yes function 178 by pressing the second function key 140or cancel the suspend operation by activating the no function 180 bypressing the first function key 138. If there is no insulin beingdelivered in addition to the standard basal rate, the insulin pump willautomatically skip from the home page 152 to the prompt 176 asking theuser to confirm suspension of the delivery.

When the user activates the yes function 178, the pump 100 displays awarning 182 that the insulin pump 100 is stopping delivery. The userthen activates an o.k. function 184 and the pump 100 stops delivery,returns to the home page 152 and displays a banner 186 stating the pump100 is stopped. On the home page 152, the pump 100 assigns a Resumefunction 188 in place of the suspend function 172. In one possiblealternative embodiment, the insulin pump 100 merely displays the warningthat the pump 100 is stopping delivery for a predetermined period oftime (e.g., 5 seconds) and then stops the pump 100 and returns to thehome page 152.

To resume pumping, the user activates the Resume function. The insulinpump 100 then prompts 189 the user to either confirm or cancel theresume function by activating either a yes function 178 or a no function180.

Alternatively, at the list that prompts 173 the user to select whetherto suspend all active delivery programs or just one of the activedelivery programs other than the standard delivery program, the user canreturn to the previous display (i.e., the home page 152) by activating aBack function 170, which is assigned to the first function key 138.Activating the Back function, whenever it is assigned to the firstfunction key 138, always returns the pump 100 back to the previousdisplay.

D. Main Menu and Time/Date

Referring to FIG. 4, the user accesses a main menu 190 by activating amenu function 192 assigned to the second function key 140. The insulinpump 100 then displays the main menu 190, which includes a plurality ofmenu items that the user can select for setting operation parameters andperforming various tasks as described herein. In one possibleembodiment, the menu items in the main menu are Basal Programs, NewCartridge, History, and Pump Settings. In other possible embodiments,the main menu 190 can be customized to include other menu items such asCorrection Bolus, Temporary Rate, Meal Bolus, and others. Furthermore,the user can customize at least some of the labels for various menuitems in both the main menu 190 and submenus.

The New Cartridge menu item is selected to access the cartridge orsyringe of insulin loaded in the pump 100. In one possible embodiment,selecting the New Cartridge menu item automatically sequences the userthrough the steps of loading the new cartridge, priming the tubing forthe infusion set, priming the cannula, and setting the display sitereminder, if the display site reminder is enabled. The display sitereminder is discussed below in more detail. In yet another embodimentthe user must affirmatively acknowledge each of these steps by pressinga predetermined key, either the first or second function keys 138 or 140on the keypad 124, at the conclusion of each step, which causes the pumpto index to the next step. After sequencing through each of these steps,the pump 100 prompts the user to enter an instruction whether to resumedelivery of insulin.

Accessing the cartridge is discussed in more detail in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/086,646, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,033,338, entitledCartridge and Pump With Axial Loading, the disclosure of which wasincorporated by reference above.

The user selects the desired menu item by using the up and down keys 142and 144 until the desired menu item is highlighted or otherwise marked.The user then activates the highlighted menu item by activating a selectfunction 194 assigned to the second function key 140.

By selecting the Pump Settings menu item, the pump brings up a PumpSettings submenu 196 of several submenu items, including Time and Date,Beep/Vibrate, Program Lock, and Personalize. The Time and Date menuoption is selected to set the time and date of the clock. This time anddate is set in real time. When the Time and Date menu option isselected, the screen displays the time and date, and focus is placed onthe hour field 198. The user scrolls through values for the hour untilthe desired value is set. The user then activates a next function 200assigned to the second function key 140 to index through the remainingfields for the time and date (e.g., the minute field 202, the am/pmfield 204, the month field 206, the day field 208, and the year field210) and set the desired values for each of these fields. The user exitsthe Time and Date function at any time by activating the Done function212 assigned to the first function key 138. Activating the Done function212 saves the current time and date settings and returns the pump to thePump Settings submenu 196.

E. Beep/Vibrate

Referring to FIG. 5, to configure an alarm function to generate eitheran audible or vibratory signal, the user selects the Beep/Vibrate menuoption within the Pump Settings submenu 196. The pump 100 then indexesto the next user interface and places focus on a choose-alert field 214.The user scrolls to the desired beep setting or vibrate setting andselects that setting by activating the Next function 200 to select thedesired setting. If the Beep setting is selected, focus changes to abeep-volume field 216 and the user scrolls to and selects the desiredvolume level. In one possible embodiment, the volume levels from whichthe user can select are low, medium, and high. Other embodiments use anumbered volume scale, labels such as indoor and outdoor, and the like.Upon selecting the desired volume level, the alert and volume settingsare saved and the Pump Setting submenu 196 is displayed on the screen106. If the user selects vibrate in the choose-alert field 214, the pump100 will return directly to the Pump Setting submenu 196.

F. Lock

Referring to FIG. 6, to lock out the pump 100 and prevent anyone fromentering the main menu 190, the user selects the Program Lock menu itemin the Pump Settings submenu 196. Focus then indexes to a lockout userinterface having a lock-out field 218, which is placed in focus. Theuser scrolls and selects to the desired yes or no value. If the userselects no, the pump 100 continues operating and the pump 100 is notlocked out. If the user selects yes, the pump 100 is locked and must beunlocked to access the main 190 menu from the home page 152. In onepossible embodiment, if there are multiple home pages, the user canstill scroll through all of the home pages without unlocking the mainmenu 190. In another possible embodiment, the user can stilltroubleshoot alarms without unlocking the pump 100.

Referring to FIG. 7, to unlock the pump 100 the user activates the menufunction 174 and the pump 100 indexes to a user interface having alockout-code field 220, which is placed in focus. The user scrolls toand selects the lockout code. In one possible embodiment, the lockoutcode is a number and the user enters the lockout code by scrollingthrough possible codes. Upon selecting the proper lock-out code, themain menu 190 is unlocked and the main menu is displayed.

In alternative embodiments, there are separate fields for each digit inthe lockout code. In this embodiment, the user indexes through thedigits using the Next function 200 until the last digit is set at whichtime the pump 100 either unlocks the main menu or admonishes the userthat the wrong code was entered.

Yet another embodiment of the pump 100 has lock levels in which thedifferent codes can be entered into the pump 100, each code permittingaccess to a different set of commands and functions. Lock levels aredescribed in more detail in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,099,which is entitled DRUG PUMP SYSTEMS AND METHODS and issued on Aug. 10,1999, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

G. Customizing Time and Date Formats

Referring to FIG. 8, to customize the time and date formats, the userselects a Personalize menu item in the Pump Settings submenu 196. Thepump 100 then indexes to a Personalize submenu 222 in which the userselects a Localization menu item. The pump then indexes to a time-formatfield 224, which is placed in focus. The user scrolls to and selects thedesired time format (e.g., 12-hour or 24-hour). The pump 100 thenindexes focus to a date-format field 226. The user scrolls to andselects the desired date format (e.g., mm/dd/yy or dd/mm/yy). The pump100 then indexes focus to a numeric-format field 228. The user scrollsto and selects the desired numeric format (e.g., xx.xx or xx,xx). Thepump 100 then returns to the Personalize submenu 222. In an alternativeembodiment, the user can also set a flag that causes the pump toautomatically change time at the beginning and end of daylight savingstime.

H. Customizing and Setting Alerts and Reminders

Referring to FIG. 9, to customize and set various alerts and remindersthe user selects the Alerts item from the Personalize submenu 222. Whenthe user selects the Alert menu item, the pump 100 indexes to alow-cartridge-alert field 230, which is placed into focus. The userscrolls to and selects the desired volume (i.e., remaining volume withinthe cartridge) at which the pump 100 will generate a low cartridgealert. In one possible embodiment, the user can select whether to setthe threshold for the low volume alert in the range from 5 units to 50units. Upon selecting the desired volume, focus indexes to adelivery-limit field 232. The user scrolls to and selects the desireddelivery limit at which an alarm is generated when there is an attemptto deliver more insulin than is allowed in a one-hour period of time. Inone possible embodiment, the user can select whether to set thethreshold for the delivery limit alarm in the range from 2 units to 100units.

The insulin pump 100 then indexes focus to a glucose-reminder field 234,which is an alert that reminds the pump user to check their bloodglucose level, based on a triggering event such as when the user lastloaded a new insulin cartridge into the pump 100 or administered a mealbolus. The user scrolls to the desired yes and no values or settings.The yes value enables the glucose reminder and the no value disables theglucose reminder.

The pump 100 then indexes focus to a duration field 236 in which theuser sets the duration between the triggering event and when the glucosereminder signals an alert. The user scrolls to and selects the desiredduration. In one possible embodiment, the user scrolls through values inthe range from 1 hour to 5 hours in a predetermined increment, such as15 minute, half hours, or one hour increments. The pump 100 then indexesfocus to an automatic-off field 238. If the user selects no in theglucose-reminder field 234, the pump 100 will skip over the durationfield 236 and index focus directly to the automatic-off field 238.

In this embodiment occurrence of the triggering event will begin a timerrunning, which will time out and generate an alarm when the durationlapses. When the alert is signaled, the pump displays a messagereminding the user to check their blood glucose levels. The useractivates a predetermined key, either the first or second function key138 or 140 on the keypad 124, to clear the alert and the message.

Within the automatic-off field 238, the user sets an automatic-off alarmthat is generated when no keys or buttons on the insulin pump or aremote control unit associated with the pump 100 are pressed within apredetermined period of time. The pump 100 also suspends delivery whenthe automatic off alarm is generated and generates an alarm display. Inone possible embodiment, when the automatic off alarm is generated, theuser must acknowledge the alarm while the alarm display is presented andthen must reinitialize the pump 100 to resume delivery. Anotherembodiment, the alarm display includes a message stating that the pumpis an insulin pump.

When the automatic-off field 238 is in focus, the user scrolls to andselects the desired yes or no value. If the user selects the yes value,the pump 100 enables the automatic-off alarm, and the pump 100 indexesfocus to a duration field 240 in which the user scrolls to the desiredduration corresponding to the delay before the automatic-off alarm issounded and delivery is suspended. After the delay is set, the pump 100indexes focus to a display-site-reminder field 242. If the user selectsthe no value in the automatic-off field 238, the pump 100 disables theautomatic-off alarm, and indexes focus to the display-site-reminderfield 242 and skips the duration field 240.

The display-site reminder is an alert that reminds the user to changetheir infusion set and access site (i.e., where on their body theinsulin is injected). Within the display-site-reminder field 242, theuser scrolls to and selects the desired yes and no values. If the userselects the yes function the pump 100 enables the display-site reminder,and if the user selects the no value, the user will disable thedisplay-site reminder. In one possible embodiment, the display-sitereminder will generate an alarm at a predetermined interval after thelast time that the user changed their infusion set and access site. Uponselecting the yes or no value, focus indexes to areview/edit-meal-bolus-alarm field 246.

If the user enables the display site reminder, the pump 100 prompts theuser to enter the interval (i.e., the number of days) after which togenerate a reminder or alarm and the time of day at which to generatethe reminder. For example, setting an interval of 2 days and a time of4:00 pm, would cause the pump 100 to generate a display-site reminder at4:00 pm on the second day after the interval starts to run. When thepump 100 generates the display-site reminder to change the user'sinfusion set and access site, it generates an audio and/or vibratoryalarm and displays a banner or other visual reminder that the useracknowledges by pressing a designated function key 138 or 140 on the keypad 124. The pump 100 includes a display-site reminder menu item thatthe user selects to reset the display site reminder and to adjust theinterval and time of day if so desired. The user would access this menuitem and reset the display-site reminder when changing his or herinfusion set and access site.

In one possible embodiment, the pump automatically takes the userthrough the process of setting the interval and time of day for thedisplay site reminder when going through the sequence of loading the newcartridge or syringe into the pump 100 and priming the infusion set.

A meal bolus alarm is an alarm that reminds the user to deliver a mealbolus during a predetermined time interval. For example, if the usereats breakfast every day between 7:00 am and 8:00 am every day, the usermay set a missed-meal-bolus alarm for an interval between 6:15 am and 8am. In this example, an alarm sounds if a meal bolus is not deliveredwithin this interval. In one possible embodiment, the user can set up tofour separate missed-meal-bolus alarms.

Within the review/edit-meal-bolus-alarm field 246, the user scrolls toand selects the desired yes or no value. If the user selects the novalue, the pump 100 returns to the Personalize submenu 222. If the userselects the yes value, the pump 100 presents a user interface 248entitled “Meal Bolus Alarm,” which lists the names 250 of the availablealarms (Alarms 1-4 in the illustrated embodiment) and a check box 252next to the name of each alarm. If a missed-meal-bolus alarm is enabled,the check box 252 is set. If a missed-meal-bolus alarm is not enabled,the check box 252 is cleared.

To set an alarm, the user scrolls to the name 250 of the desired alarmand activates an edit function 254, which is assigned to the secondfunction key 140. The pump 100 then displays a user interface 256entitled “Meal Bolus Alarm: Alarm X”, where X identifies the alarm towhich the screen relates. In the illustrated embodiment, the display 256relates to Alarm 1. There is one Meal Bolus Alarm: Alarm X display 256associated with each of the alarms 250. Within the Meal Bolus Alarm:Alarm X display 256, there are three fields, a give-alert field 258, aninterval-start field 260, and an interval-end field 262.

The give-alert field 258 is the first field placed in focus. The userscrolls to and selects the desired yes or no value. The yes valueenables the meal bolus alarm, and the no value disables the meal bolusalarm. If the user selects the no value, the pump 100 returns to the“Meal Bolus Alarm” user interface 248. If the user selects the yesvalue, the pump indexes focus to the interval-start field 260. The userthen scrolls to and selects the desired start time for the interval. Thepump 100 then indexes focus to the interval-end field 262. The userscrolls to and selects the desired end time for the interval. In onepossible embodiment, the time values through which the use scrolls areset at 15 minute increments, although other embodiments will have othertime increments.

The pump 100 then saves interval start and stop times for that mealbolus alarm and returns to the Meal Bolus Alarm display 248. The usercan then select another meal bolus alarm to enable and set or to disableusing the procedures discussed above. Alternatively, the user canactivate the Done function 212 and the pump 100 will save the settingsfor all of the meal bolus alarms and return to the Personalize submenu222.

I. Pump History

Referring to FIG. 10, one possible embodiment of the insulin pump 100tracks historical information related to the pump 100 such as deliveryinformation and other events related to the pump 100. Historicalinformation can be viewed on the screen 106 of the pump 100 or uploadedto a computer as discussed in more detail herein. The pump 100 can becustomized to view historical delivery and event information inindividual history screens or under the History item of the main menu190. Additionally, the pump 100 can display delivery information eitheras individual events or as averages. These alternatives are only some ofthe possible embodiments.

The pump 100 can be programmed to track many different types ofhistorical information, to present the historical information in manydifferent ways, and to provide different ways to access historicalinformation. In one possible embodiment, the historical information thatthe pump 100 tracks includes:

(1) The aggregate insulin delivered by the pump 100 as well as theamount of insulin broken down by insulin delivered as a meal bolus,insulin delivered to counteract estimated carbohydrates consumed by theuser (if the carbohydrate estimator is used), delivered as a correctionbolus, and delivered according to basal delivery protocols. In variousembodiments, the pump 100 will record delivery according to basaldelivery protocols as a total for all basal delivery protocols, or ifthe pump 100 is programmed with multiple delivery basal protocols, thedelivered insulin can be broken down by each basal protocol used by thepump 100. In one possible embodiment, this data is stored as a dailytotal and an average daily total for a predetermined number of days.Additionally, in various embodiments, the average data can be recordedas actual average values or the average data can be calculated from thedaily totals when requested for display or upon other requests.

(2) The amount of insulin delivered by the pump 100 according to a basalprotocol as a percent of the total insulin delivered by the pump 100. Inone possible embodiment, this data is stored as a daily percentage andan average daily percentage for a predetermined number of days.Additionally, in various embodiments, the average data can be recordedas actual average values or the average data can be calculated from thedaily totals when requested for display or upon other requests.

(3) The date, time, and amount of each bolus delivered.

(4) The 500-Rule factor, which is used to estimate the grams ofcarbohydrates that are covered by each unit of insulin. To determine thegrams of carbohydrates that are covered by each unit of insulin, the500-Rule factor is divided by the total daily dose of insulin requiredto maintain the user blood sugar level in an acceptable range. Thetypical 500-Rule factor is 500, and hence the ratio is called the 500Rule. However, the factor may vary for different types of insulin andfrom user to user and the value for the 500-Rule factor is calculatedand stored. In one possible embodiment, the 500-Rule factor is stored asa daily value depending on the total delivery dose and an average valuefor a predetermined number of days. In an alternative embodiment, the500-Rule factor is not stored but is calculated as the 500-Rule factoris required for a display, calculation, or other function.

(5) The 1800-Rule factor, which is used to estimate the number of unitsof insulin is required for each mg/dL (or mmol/L) drop in blood glucose.To determine the drop in blood glucose for each unit if insulindelivered to the user, the 1800-Rule factor is divided by the totaldaily dose of insulin required to maintain the user blood sugar level inan acceptable range. The typical 1800-Rule factor is 1800, and hence theratio is called the 1800 Rule. However, the factor may vary fordifferent types of insulin and from user to user and the value for the1800-Rule factor is calculated and stored. In one possible embodiment,the 1800-Rule factor is stored as a daily value depending on the totaldelivery dose and an average value for a predetermined number of days.In an alternative embodiment, the 1800-Rule factor is not stored but iscalculated as the 1800-Rule factor is required for a display,calculation, or other function.

(6) The complete history, which in one possible embodiment is the last2000 events that are experienced by the pump, including all dailydelivery totals, all alerts, all errors, all battery changes, allinsulin cartridge changes, all changes to the pump program, and thelike. Each record of an event includes the date and time that the eventoccurred. In other embodiments, a predetermined number of events otherthan 2000 are recorded. In yet another possible embodiment, the pump 100records the events for a predetermined number of days rather than anabsolute quantity, although there might be a limit to the total numberof events that are recorded depending on available memory and otherfactors.

In one possible embodiment, as used herein total daily dose, alsoreferred to as Total Daily Dose or TDD, refers to the total amount ofinsulin delivered during a single day excluding the amount of insulindelivered as a correction bolus. Other embodiments might includes theamount of insulin delivered as a correction bolus in the total dailydose of insulin.

To customize how the historical information is displayed on the pump100, the user selects the History menu item from the Personalize submenu222. The pump 100 indexes to a delivery-summary field 264, which isplaced in focus. The user scrolls to and selects the desired yes or novalue. The yes value enables the Delivery Summary menu item in theHistory submenu 290 (FIG. 11), and the no value disables the DeliverySummary menu item in the History submenu 290. Disabled menu items arenot displayed as part of the menu. In one possible embodiment, thedelivery summary displayed under this menu item includes the total dailydose of insulin delivered by the pump 100 as well as the amount ofinsulin broken down by insulin delivered as a meal bolus, insulindelivered to counteract estimated carbohydrates consumed by the user (ifthe carbohydrate estimator is used), delivered as a correction bolus,and delivered according to basal delivery protocols. In an alternativeembodiment, the delivery summary includes the total or aggregate amountof insulin, including insulin delivered as a correction bolus.

Upon selecting the yes or no value in the delivery-summary field 264,focus indexes to an average-delivery-summary field 266, in which theuser scrolls to and selects either a yes value or a no value. The yesvalue enables the Average Delivery Summary menu item in the Historysubmenu 290, and the no value disables the Average Delivery Summary menuitem in the History submenu 290. In one possible embodiment, the AverageDelivery Summary displayed under this menu item includes the averagedaily total for a predetermined number of days for the aggregate insulindelivered by the pump as well as the amount of insulin broken down byinsulin delivered as a meal bolus, insulin delivered to counteractestimated carbohydrates consumed by the user (if the carbohydrateestimator is used), delivered as a correction bolus, and deliveredaccording to basal delivery protocols.

Upon selecting the yes or no value in the average-delivery-summary field266, focus indexes to a basal-as-percent-of-TDD field 268. In onepossible embodiment, basal as a percent of TDD is the amount of insulindelivered by the pump 100 according to a basal protocol as a dailypercent of the total insulin delivered by the pump 100. The user selectswhether to display the Basal as a Percent of TDD menu item in theHistory submenu 290 using a procedure similar to that described for theDelivery Summary. Under this menu item, the pump 100 lists the totaldaily amount of insulin delivered as a basal as a percent of the totaldaily dose of insulin delivered. In an alternative embodiment, the pump100 lists the total daily amount of insulin delivered as a bolus as apercent of the total daily dose of insulin delivered. In variousembodiments, the bolus as a percent can be listed as the meal bolus as apercent of the total daily dose of insulin delivered, correction bolusas a percent of the total daily dose of insulin delivered, or totalbolus as a percent of the total daily dose of insulin delivered. Thepump 100 then indexes focus to an average-basal-as-percent-of-TDD field270. In one possible embodiment, average basal as a percent of totaldaily delivery (TDD) is the amount of insulin delivered by the pump 100according to a basal protocol as an average daily percent over apredetermined number of days of the total insulin delivered by the pump100. The user selects whether to display the Avg Basal as a Percent ofTDD menu item in the History submenu 290 using a procedure similar tothat described for the Delivery Summary. The pump 100 lists the averagebasal as a percent of the total daily delivery under this menu item.

The pump 100 then indexes focus to a bolus-history field 272. In onepossible embodiment, the Bolus History is the date, time, and amount ofeach bolus delivered. The user selects whether to display a BolusHistory menu item in the History submenu 290 using a procedure similarto that described for the Delivery Summary. The pump 100 lists thepump's 100 Bolus History under the Bolus History menu item.

The pump 100 then indexes focus to an edit-display-of-more-history field274. The user scrolls to a yes value or a no value as desired and thenactivates the next function. If the user selects the no value, the pumpreturns to the Personalize submenu 222. If the user selects the yesvalue, the focus indexes to a carbohydrate-ratio field 276 in which theuser scrolls to a yes value or a no value as desired and activates theNext function. Selecting the yes value causes the pump 100 to display aCalc 500 Rule menu item in the history submenu 290 and to display thecalculated carbohydrate ratio. The pump indexes focus to a500-rule-factor field 278 when the user selects yes in the500-rule-factor field 276. The user then scrolls to the desired 500-Rulefactor to use in various calculations and activates the Next function.In one possible embodiment, the potential factors are in the range from400 to 600 in increments of 15. The pump 100 then indexes focus from the500-rule-factor field to an average-carb-ratio field 280. Selecting theno value in the 500-Rule-factor field 276 disables display of the Calc500 Rule menu item in the History submenu 290 and causes the pump 100 toindex directly from the 500-rule-factor field 276 to theaverage-carb-ratio field 280.

Within the average-carb-ratio field 280, the user scrolls to and selectseither a yes value or a no value. If the user selects the yes value, thepump 100 will enable an Avg Calc 500 Rule menu item in the Historysubmenu 290. Under the Avg Calc 500 Rule menu item, the pump displaysthe average carbohydrate ratio for a predetermined number of days. Inone possible embodiment, the pump 100 calculates the averagecarbohydrate ratio for a 7-day period. Upon selecting the yes or novalue, the pump indexes focus to a correction-factor field 282.

In other embodiments, the pump calculates the average carbohydrate ratiofor periods other than 7 days. For example, the range could be in therange from 2 to 90 days. In another possible embodiment, the pump 100calculates the average carbohydrate ratio for however number of days itstores historical data. In yet another embodiment, the user can select apredetermined number of days over which to calculate and average thecarbohydrate ratio.

If the user selects the yes value in the correction-factor field 282,the focus indexes to an 1800-rule-factor field 284. The user thenscrolls to and selects the desired 1800-Rule factor to use in variouscalculations. In one possible embodiment, the potential 1800-Rulefactors are in the range from 1500 to 2200 in increments of 100. Thepump then indexes focus to an average-correction-factor field 286.Selecting the no value in the correction-factor field 282 disablesdisplay of the Calc 1800-Rule menu item in the History submenu 290 andcauses the pump to index directly from the correction-factor field 282to the average-correction-factor field 286.

Within the average-correction-factor field 286, the user scrolls to andselects a yes value or a no value. If the user selects the yes value,the pump 100 will enable the Avg. Calc 1800 Rule menu item in theHistory submenu 290. Under the Avg. Calc 1800 Rule menu item, the pump100 displays the average correction factor for a predetermined number ofdays. In one possible embodiment, the pump 100 calculates the averagecorrection factor for a 7-day period. Upon selecting the yes or novalue, in the average-correction-factor field 286, the pump indexesfocus to a complete-history field 288.

In other embodiments, the pump calculates the average correction factorfor periods other than 7 days. For example, the range could be in therange from 2 to 90 days. In another possible embodiment, the pump 100calculates the average correction factor for however number of days itstores historical data. In yet another embodiment, the user can select apredetermined number of days over which to calculate and average thecorrection factor.

Within the complete-history field 288, the user scrolls between either ayes value or a no value. The user selects yes to enable a CompleteHistory menu item in the History submenu 290 and selects the no value todisable the Complete History menu item. Upon selecting either the yes orno value, the pump returns to the Personalize submenu. Under theComplete History menu item, the pump displays the complete body ofhistorical information stored in RAM 116.

Referring now to FIG. 11, viewing historical information about the pump100 is accomplished through the main menu 190. The user activates theMenu function 174 to access the main menu 190. Within the Main Menu 190,the user selects and activates the History menu item. The pump thenindexes to the History submenu 290 that lists the historical informationthat is available to view on the pump 100. As described above, thehistorical information that is available, depending on the setting madewithin the History item of the Personalize submenu 222 as describedabove, are Delivery Summary, Avg Delivery Summary, Basal as a Percent ofTDD, Avg Basal as a percent of TDD, Calc 500 Rule, Avg Calc 500 Rule,Calc 1800 Rule, and Avg Calc 1800 rule.

If the user selects Delivery Summary, the pump indexes to a DeliverySummary 292 that has a date field 294 in which the current date islisted and a Total field in which the total number of insulin unitsdelivered is listed, a Meal Bolus field in which the number of insulinunits delivered as a meal bolus is listed, a Carbs field in which thetotal number of carbohydrates that the user entered as an estimate ofcarbohydrate consumption is listed, Corr. Bolus field in which the totalnumber of insulin units delivered as a correction bolus are listed, anda Basal field in which the total number of insulin units deliveredaccording to the basal protocols employed by the pump are listed.

The user can scroll through dates in the date field 294 and see thishistorical information for dates other than the current date. In onepossible embodiment, the user can scroll through the seven differentdates, including the current date and the six previous dates. When theuser scrolls to a different date, the pump automatically updates thehistorical delivery information relating to delivery that occurred onthe date now listed in the date field. In an alternative embodiment, theuser can scroll through the previous 90 days of data. In yet anotherpossible embodiment, the user can scroll through however many days ofdata are stored on the pump 100.

If the user selects the Avg Delivery Summary menu item in the Historysubmenu 290, the pump 100 indexes to a display 296 entitled “7 DayAverage,” 293 and displays the same fields (Total field, Meal Bolusfield, Carbs field, Con. Bolus field, Basal field) as the DeliverySummary display 292. However, rather than daily totals, the fieldspresent that average number of insulin units delivered over apredetermined number of days. Additionally, in place of the date field294, the screen for the Avg Delivery Summary presents an avg-over field298, which contains the number of days for which the historical data isbeing averaged. The user can change the number of days by scrolling upor down using the up or down keys, respectively. In one possibleembodiment, the number of days that can be averaged are in the rangefrom 2-30. In another possible embodiment, the number of days that canbe averaged are in the range from 2-90 days. In yet another possibleembodiment, the number of days that can be averaged are in the rangefrom 2 days to however many days of historical data are stored on thepump 100. After scrolling to a new number of days to average, the useractivates an Update Function 300 and the pump 100 recalculates theaverages.

If the user changes the number of days over which the average data iscalculated, the title “7 Day Average” 293 changes to “X Day Average,”where X is the selected number of days over which the data is averaged.

If the use selects the Basal as % of TDD item menu from the Historysubmenu 290, the pump 100 will display a “Basal as % of TDD” display(not shown) and present the percent of total insulin delivered by thepump according to the basal delivery protocols on any given day. TheBasal as % of TDD display will present a date field in which the usercan change the day for which the historical information is presented ina manner similar to the Delivery Summary display 292 as described above.

If the use selects the Avg Basal as % of TDD item menu from the Historysubmenu 290, the pump 100 will display an “Avg Basal as % of TDD”display (not shown) and present the average percent of total insulindelivered by the pump 100 according to the basal delivery protocols fora predefined number of days. The Basal as % of TDD screen will displayan avg-over field 298 in which the user can change the number of daysfor which the historical information averaged in a manner similar to the7 Day Summary display 296 as described above.

If the user selects Calc 500 Rule, the pump will index to a “CarbRatio—500 Rule” display and present a table of information. In each rowof the table, the pump will list a date and the calculated carbohydrateratio for that date. The carbohydrate ratio is calculated by dividingthe 500-Rule factor by the total number of insulin units delivered forthat day. In one possible embodiment, the pump 100 will calculate andlist the carbohydrate ratio for 30 days and the user can scroll throughthose values using the up and down keys. However, other embodiments willcalculate and list the carbohydrate ratio for any other number of days.

If the user selects Avg Calc 500 Rule, the pump 100 indexes to an “AvgCarb Ratio—500 Rule” display. The pump 100 calculates and presents theaverage carbohydrate ratio for a predetermined number of days. The “AvgCarb Ratio—500 Rule” display includes an avg-over field 298 in which theuser can change the number of days for which the average carbohydrateratio is averaged in a manner similar to the “Avg Delivery Summary”display as described above.

If the user selects Calc 1800 Rule, the pump 100 will index to a“Correction Factor—1800 Rule” display and present a table ofinformation. In each row of the table, the pump 100 will list a date andthe calculated correction factor for that date. The correction factor iscalculated by dividing the 1800-Rule factor by the total daily dose ofinsulin required to maintain the user blood sugar level in an acceptablerange. In one possible embodiment, the pump 100 will calculate and listthe correction factor for 30 days and the user can scroll through thosevalues using the up and down keys 142 and 144. However, otherembodiments will calculate and list the correction factor for othernumbers of days.

If the user selects Avg Calc 1800 Rule, the pump 100 indexes to an “AvgCorrection Factor—1800 Rule” display. The pump 100 calculates andpresents the average correction factor for a predetermined number ofdays. The Avg Correction Factor—1800 Rule screen includes an avg-overfield 298 in which the user can change the number of days for which theaverage correction factor is averaged in a manner similar to the “AvgDelivery Summary” display as described above.

J. Basal Rates

Referring to FIG. 12, the insulin pump 100 can deliver insulin eitheraccording to a basal rate or as a bolus. In one possible embodiment, thepump 100 can deliver insulin according to four different basal deliveryprograms. To customize the basal delivery programs, the user accessesthe Personalize Delivery submenu 222.

Selecting the Delivery menu item in the Personalize submenu 222 causesthe pump to index to a Personalize Delivery submenu 302 in which theuser can select the type of bolus or basal delivery protocol to edit.Selecting the Basal Program menu item causes the pump 100 to index amaximum-basal-rate field 304, which is placed in focus. Within themaximum-basal-rate field 304, the user scrolls to and selects thedesired maximum basal rate. In one possible embodiment, the maximumbasal rate values are in the units of u/hr and the user can scrollthrough values in the range from 0.5 u/hr to 36 u/hr in increments of0.5 u/hr. When the desired maximum basal rate is selected, focus indexesto a review/edit-basal-programs field 306 in which the user selectseither a yes or a no value. If the user selects the no value, theinsulin pump 100 returns to the Personalize Delivery submenu 302.

If the user selects the yes value, the pump 100 indexes to a display 308entitled “Select Program” and lists the name 310 for each of the basalprograms, Basal 1, Basal 2, Basal 3, and Basal 4. A check box 312 isalso displayed next to each name 310 for the basal delivery programs. Ifa Basal program is enabled, the check box 312 next to its name is set.If a Basal program is not enabled, the check box 312 next to its name iscleared. The name 310 of each enabled basal-delivery program isdisplayed as a menu item in the Basal Programs submenu 318 (FIG. 13) andthe user can selectively activate the enabled programs.

To enable or disable a basal program, the user scrolls to the desiredbasal program and activates the Edit function 254. The pump 100 indexesto a display 313 entitled “My Program X,” where X is the number of thebasal program being edited. In the illustrated example, the title of thedisplay is My Program 1 because Basal program 1 is being edited. Thedisplay has two fields, an enable field 314 and a name field 316. Withinthe enable field 314, the user selects either a yes value or a no value.If the user selects the no value, the pump 100 disables the basalprogram associated with the screen 313 (Basal Program 1 in theillustrated example) and returns to the Select Program display 308. Thecheck box 312 for the disabled program is cleared. In one possibleembodiment, if the pump 100 is actually executing the basal program thatthe user attempts to disable, the pump 100 will not disable the programand will present an error message stating, “You may not disable theactive program.”

If the user selects the yes value in the enable field 314, the pump 100indexes focus to the name field 316. Within the name field 316, the usercan assign a custom name to the basal delivery program. In one possibleembodiment, the user can scroll through names that are preloaded intothe pump 100. Examples of names might include Weekday, Weekend, SickDay, Travel, Monthly, and the generic name Basal X, where X is thenumber of the basal program being edited. When the user has scrolled tothe desired name, the user activates the Next function and the pump 100returns to the Select Program display 308. The check box 312 for theprogram that was just edited is set to indicate that the basal programis enabled. Additionally, the name selected in the name field 316 isdisplayed in the Select Program display 308 in place of the previouslyassigned name. The name selected in the name field 316 is also displayedas a menu item in the Basal Programs submenu 318.

The user repeats this procedure from the Select Program display 308 foreach basal program 310 for which he or she desires to change the enabledstate and/or name. When the user is done changing the enabled states andprogram names for the various basal programs 310, the user activates theDone function 212. The pump 100 then returns to the Personalize Deliverysubmenu 302. As described below, the names of the enabled basal deliveryprograms will then appear the Basal Programs submenu 318.

In an alternative embodiment, within the display entitled “My ProgramX,” the user can access a spin box in which they scroll through a listof optional names and select a custom name for the enabled basaldelivery programs. The selected name would then replace the generic name(e.g., Basal 1, Basal 2, Basal 3, and Basal 4 in the illustratedexample) for the program associated with the display. Examples ofoptional names that might be loaded in the pump 100 include weekday,weekend, sick, and monthly (which is to designate a basal deliveryprogram set for a woman's menstrual cycle).

Referring now to FIG. 13, the user can edit the operating parameters forthe delivery protocols assigned to each of the enabled basal programs.From the main menu, the user selects the Basal Programs menu item. Thepump then indexes to a Basal Programs submenu 318 that lists those basalprograms 317 that have been enabled as menu items. Each Basal Deliveryprogram listed in the submenu 318 is identified by the name assigned tothat particular program (e.g., Basal X, Weekend, Weekday, Sick Day,Travel, Monthly). In the illustrated example, all four basal programsare enabled and identified by the generic name Basal X. Additionally,there is button 320 next to each of the menu items (names for theenabled basal programs). The buttons 320 associated with the activebasal program are set, and the buttons for the other basal deliveryprograms are cleared.

To edit a basal program, the user scrolls to and selects the desiredbasal program. The pump 100 indexes to a submenu 322 for which the titleis the same name as the selected basal program. The menu has two menuitems, an Edit menu item and a Start Using menu item. The user selectsthe edit menu item and the pump 100 indexes to a Summary user interface324 that presents a table in which each row identifies a start time 326and a scheduled delivery rate 328 for each time interval in the basalprogram. In the illustrated embodiment, there is a first time interval330 having a start time and a delivery rate, a second time interval 332having a start time and a delivery rate, and a third time intervalhaving 334 a start time and a delivery rate. The start times are listedin a start-time field, and the delivery rates, are listed in adelivery-rate field.

To edit the start times and the delivery rates, the user activates theedit function 254 in the Summary user interface 324 and the pump 100indexes to an Edit user interface 336 and assigns the Done function 212to the first function key 138. Additionally, the pump 100 places focuson the delivery-rate field 340 for the first interval 330. The userscrolls to and selects the desired delivery rate. The user selects thedesired delivery by scrolling to the desired value and activating theNext function 200. In one possible embodiment, the pump 100 scrollsthrough delivery rates in the range from 0 u/hr to 2 u/hr in incrementsof 0.05 units per hour. The delivery rate does not exceed the maximumdelivery rate (FIG. 12, Item 304).

When the desired delivery rate is selected, the pump 100 indexes focusto the start-time field 342 for the second time interval 332. The userscrolls to and selects the desired start time. In one possibleembodiment, the pump 100 scrolls through start times in increments of 30minutes. In one possible embodiment, the start time cannot be earlierthan or equal to the start time of the previous time interval and cannotbe later than or equal to the start time of the next subsequent timeinterval. Other embodiments will implement different scrollingincrements and limitations on the start time that can be selected. Inanother embodiment, if a selected start time is not in sequence, thepump 100 will automatically reposition the delivery intervals so theyare in chronological order.

When the desired start time is selected, pump 100 then indexes focus tothe delivery-rate field 340 for the second time interval 332, which theuser sets using the procedures described above with respect to the firsttime interval 330. The user continues this procedure indexing throughthe start times for each of the time intervals and their associateddelivery rates until the start time for each of the delivery intervalsand their associated delivery rates are set. When the user is finishedsetting and/or editing the start times and delivery rates for thevarious intervals, he or she activates the Done function 212 and thepump 100 returns to the Summary Display 324.

In one possible embodiment, the first time interval 330 always starts at12:00 midnight. In this embodiment, the last time interval willterminate at 12:00 midnight. If, within the Summary Display 324, theuser highlights and selects the first time interval 330 for editing, thepump 100 indexes to the Edit display 336 and initially highlights thedelivery rate 328 for the first time interval 330 rather than the starttime 326. In another embodiment, however, the user can change the starttime 320 for the first time interval 330. The last time interval wouldthen extend until the start time for the first time interval 330.Additionally, within the Summary Display 324, the user can scroll to adelivery interval other than the first interval 330 and activate theEdit function 254. In this situation, the start-time field 342 for theselected interval is initially placed into focus rather than thedelivery-rate field 340.

To add a time interval to the basal program, the user continues to indexthrough all of the time intervals and associated fields until the pumpgenerates a new delivery interval and displays the characters “--:--”344 in the start-time field 342 of the new interval, which occurs afterindexing through the delivery-rate field 340 for the last time interval.The user then scrolls through desired start times for the new timeinterval. After the desired start time is selected, the user activatesthe Next function 200 and the pump 100 indexes to the delivery-ratefield 340 for the new time interval, which the user sets by scrollingthrough available delivery rate values. The user can then activate theNext function 200 to add yet another new time interval or can activatethe Done function 212 to return to the Summary display 324. In oneembodiment, the pump 100 can include up to 48 time segments, althoughother embodiment will include more or fewer time segments.

To delete a time interval from the basal program, the user places thestart-time field 342 for the desired interval into focus and scrollsdown until the time reads “--:--” 344. The user then activates the Nextfunction 200 to index focus to the delivery-rate field 340. The userthen scrolls the delivery rate down to 0.00348 and either activates theNext function 200 to index to another time interval for editing oractivates the Done function 212 to return to the Summary display 324.

Additionally, both the Summary user interface 324 and the Edit userinterface 336 include a total field 346 in which the total insulinscheduled to be delivered over a 24-hour period for that basal programis listed. The total insulin scheduled to be delivered is calculated bymultiplying the delivery rate by the length of each time interval tocalculate the total insulin to be delivered for each time interval bythe basal program being edited. The total insulin to be delivered foreach time interval is then summed to calculate the total insulinscheduled to be delivered over a 24-hour period.

Referring to FIG. 14, to begin a basal program the user indexes to theBasal Programs submenu 318 and selects the name of the desired basalprogram. The pump indexes to the Basal X submenu 322 and selects theStart Using menu item. The pump returns to the Basal Programs submenu318 and sets the button 320′ for the newly activated basal program. Thepump 100 also clears the button 320 for the previously active basalprogram.

K. Temporary Rate

A temporary rate allows the user to temporarily raise or lower thedelivery rate being administered by the active bolus program. The usercan personalize or customize the temporary rate programs and how theyare present in the user interface. Referring to FIG. 15, to personalizethe temporary rate programs, the user accesses the Personalize Deliverysubmenu 302.

Selecting the Delivery menu item in the Personalize submenu 222 causesthe pump 100 to index to the Personalize Delivery submenu 302 and theuser selects the Temporary Rate menu item. The pump 100 then displays adisplay-temporary-rate field 350, which is placed in focus. The userscrolls to and selects either a yes value or a no value. If the userselects the no value, the pump 100 returns to the Personalize Deliverysubmenu 302. If the user selects the yes value, the pump 100 indexesfocus to program-temporary-rate-using field 352 in which the userscrolls between and selects either a Percent value and a Units/hr value.If the user selects the Percent value, the pump 100 sets the temporaryrate delivery programs to increase and decrease the basal rate in termsof a percentage of the programmed basal rate and indexes focus to agive-reminder field. If the user selects the Units/hr value, the pump100 sets the temporary rate delivery programs to increase and decreasethe basal rate in terms of absolute units per hour and indexes focus tothe give-reminder field.

When focus is on the give-reminder field 354, the user scrolls to andselects either a yes value or a no value. Selecting the yes valueenables a temporary-rate reminder (either audible or vibratory) that isperiodically generated while the pump 100 is delivering a temporaryrate. Focus then indexes to an interval field 356 in which the userscrolls to and selects an interval that sets how frequently the pump 100gives a reminder. In one possible embodiment, the user scrolls between 5minutes and 1 hour in increments such as 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15minutes. Upon selection of the interval, focus indexes to anend-temporary-rate-reminder field 358. Selecting the no value in thegive-reminder field 358 disables the temporary-rate reminder and indexesfocus directly from the give-reminder field 354 to theend-temporary-rate-reminder field 358.

Within the end-temporary-rate-reminder field 358, the user scrolls toand selects either a yes value or a no value. If the user selects theyes value, the pump 100 enables generation of the reminder uponcompletion of the temporary rate. The reminder is either an audible orvibratory reminder when delivery at the temporary rate is complete. Inone possible embodiment, the reminder upon completion of the temporaryrate is different than the reminder given to indicate that the temporaryrate is still running. For example, an audible alarm might be longer,louder, or have a different sequence of beeps. Similarly, a vibratoryalarm might be longer, stronger, or have a different sequence ofvibrations. If the user selects the no value, the pump 100 disables thereminder.

The pump 100 next indexes focus to a review/edit-custom-temporary-ratefield 360. The user scrolls to and selects either a yes value or a novalue. If the user selects the no value, the pump returns to thePersonalize Delivery submenu 302. If the user selects the yes value, thepump indexes to a display 362 entitled “Custom Temp Rate” and lists thename 364 of each customized temporary rate delivery program and displaysa check box 366 next to each name 364. In one possible embodiment, thereare four separate temporary rate programs. If a customized temporaryrate program is enabled, the check box 366 for that delivery program isset. If a customized temporary rate program is disabled, the check box366 for that temporary rate delivery program is cleared. When acustomized temporary rate delivery program is enabled, it is displayedin the Temporary Basal Rates submenu 376 (FIG. 16) as described belowand the user can then selectively execute the temporary rate deliveryprogram through the Temporary Rates submenu 376. If the customizedtemporary rate delivery program is not enabled, it is not displayed inthe Temporary Rates submenu 376 as described below and it cannot beexecuted.

To enable or disable a customized temporary rate program, the userscrolls to the name 364 of the desired program and activates the Editfunction 254. The pump 100 indexes to a display 367 entitled “CustomTemp Rate: Temp Rate X,” where X is the number of the customizedtemporary rate program being edited. In the illustrated example, thetitle of the screen is “Custom Temp Rate: Temp Rate 3” because temporaryrate 3 is being edited. The screen has four fields, an in-menu field368, a name field 370, a rate field 372, and a duration field 374.

The in-menu field 368 is initially placed in focus. Within this field,the user scrolls to and selects either a yes value and a no value. Ifthe user activates the no value, the pump 100 disables the customizedtemporary rate program associated with the screen 367 (Temporary RateProgram 3 in the illustrated example) and returns to the Custom TempRate display 362. The check box 366 for the disabled temporary rateprogram is cleared. In one possible embodiment, if the pump 100 isactually executing the temporary rate program that the user attempts todisable, the pump 100 will not disable the program and will present anerror message stating, “You may not disable the active temporary rateprogram.”

If the user selects the yes value in the in-menu field 368, focusindexes to the name field 370. Within the name field 370, the userscrolls to and selects a name to assign the program. In one possibleembodiment, the user can scroll through names such as Sick, Travel,Exercise, and the generic name Temp Rate X, where X is the number of thetemporary rate program being edited. When the user has scrolled to thedesired name, the user activates the Next function 200 and the pump 100indexes to the rate field 372.

Within the rate field 372, the user scrolls to and selects a percentageto modify the basal rate. In one possible embodiment, the user canscroll through percentages in the range from 0% to 250%. When thedesired percentage is selected, focus indexes to the duration field 374.Within the duration field 374, the user scrolls to and selects aduration for which they would like the temporary rate to be active onceit begins. In one possible embodiment, the user can scroll through ratesin the range from 30 minutes to 72 hours. When the duration is selected,the pump 100 returns to the Custom Temp Rate display 362.

The user repeats this procedure from the Custom Temp Rate display 362for each custom temporary rate program 364 for which they desire to editthe enabled state, name, rate, or duration. When the user is doneediting custom temporary rate programs, he or she activates the Donefunction 212. The pump 100 then returns to the Personalize Deliverysubmenu 302. As described below, the names of the enabled customtemporary rate delivery programs will then appear in a submenu 376entitled “Temporary Basal Rate”.

Referring to FIG. 16, a user activates a temporary rate by selecting theTemporary Rate menu item from the main menu 190. If the user has enabledany customized temporary rates as described above with reference to FIG.15, the pump indexes to a Temporary Basal Rate submenu 376, which liststhe standard temporary rate delivery program 377 and all of the customtemporary rate delivery programs 364 that are enabled. In theillustrated example, the two custom temporary rate delivery programs 364are 5 mile run and aerobics. The user scrolls to and selects the desireddelivery program.

When the user selects a temporary rate program for execution, the pump100 indexes from the Temporary Basal Rate submenu 376 to an edit screen379. In an alternative embodiment, if there are not any custom temporaryrate programs 364 enabled (i.e., only the standard program 377 can beused), the pump 100 indexes directly from the main menu 190 to the editscreen 379 and skips the Temporary Basal Rate display 376.

The edit screen 379 has a duration field 378 that contains the durationfor the temporary rate and a rate field 380 that contain data to set thetemporary rate. If the temporary rate is one that was customized asdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 15, the duration field 378 containsthe duration as it was initially set in the “Custom Temp Rate: Temp RateX” display 367. Similarly, the rate field 380 initially contains therate data originally set in the “Custom Temp Rate: Temp Rate X” display367. The user can then adjust these values by using the scroll keys tochange the values and the Next function to index from the duration field378 to the rate field 380. In one possible embodiment, for example, theduration can be set in the range from 0 minutes to 72 hours, and therate can be set in the range from about 0% to about 400% if percent isthe rate factor (or from a rate of 0 units per hour to the maximum basalrate if the units per hour is the rate factor).

If the user selects the Standard temporary basal rate program, theduration field 378 and rate field 380 are preprogrammed with apredetermined value that the user then adjusts to desired levels. If thetemporary basal program is set to receive a percentage by which toadjust the basal rate, values in the rate field 380 are percentages 381.If the temporary basal program is set to receive a new basal rate,values in the rate field 380 are in units/hr 381′. In one possibleembodiment, for example, the rate field 378 might be set at 100% (thecurrent basal rate if units per hour is used) and the duration field 380at 30 minutes. In another possible embodiment, the duration field 380 ispreprogrammed at 0 minutes.

The user sets the duration, activates the Next function 200, sets therate, activates the next function 200, and then the pump 100 indexes toa confirmation screen 382 that lists the set duration and rate (as apercentage 383 or in units/hr 383′ depending on settings for thetemporary rate program, for the temporary basal rate program. The userthen activates a Deliver function 384 assigned to the second functionkey 140 and the pump 100 begins delivering insulin according to theoperating parameters set in the temporary rate program. While thetemporary rate is being delivered, the home page 152 will display thedelivery rate 383′ as modified 162′ by the temporary rate and display abanner 384 stating that a temporary rate is active. In an alternativeembodiment, if a custom temporary rate is active, the pump will displaythe name 364 assigned to the active custom temporary rate.

Referring to FIG. 17, the user can suspend an active temporary rateprogram by activating the Suspend function 172 on the home page 152. Asdescribed above, the pump 100 prompts the user to select suspension ofall delivery or just the temporary rate. The user highlights and selectsthe temporary rate. The pump 100 then prints a banner 386 indicating howmuch time remains in the duration of the temporary rate and promptingthe user to confirm suspension. The user confirms suspension byactivating the yes function 178. The pump 100 then suspends delivery atthe temporary rate and returns to pumping that according to the normalbasal rate 160. If the user activates the no function 180, the pump 100will continue delivering according to the temporary rate and will returnto the home page 152 with a banner 384 stating that the temporary rateis active and a display of the temporary basal rate 162′.

L. Correction Bolus

In addition to delivering a basal rate the pump 100 may administer abolus to lower the user's blood glucose level. One possible embodimentof the pump 100 can deliver two types of boluses, a correction bolus anda meal bolus. The correction bolus delivers a dose of insulin over andabove the basal rate to lower or correct the user's blood glucose levelif it becomes too high. A meal bolus is a dose of insulin delivered inanticipation of consuming a meal to counteract the effects that the mealmay have on the user's blood glucose.

Referring to FIG. 18, the user can personalize or customize thecorrection bolus program and how the program is presented in the userinterface. To personalize the temporary rate programs, the user accessesthe Personalize Delivery submenu 302.

Selecting the Correction Bolus menu item causes the pump 100 to displaya main-menu field 388, and places it in focus. The user scrolls to andselects either a yes value or a no value. The yes value enables aCorrection Bolus menu item in the main menu 190, and a no value disablesthe Correction Bolus menu item in the main menu 190. Upon selecting theyes or no value, focus indexes to a meal-bolus field 390 in which theuser scrolls to and selects either a yes value or a no value. A yesvalue enables the user to set a correction bolus through the meal bolusdelivery program as described below. A no value disables the ability toset a correction bolus through the meal bolus delivery program.

Upon selecting a yes or no value in the meal-bolus field 390, focusindexes to a units field 392 in which the user scrolls to and selectsunits for measuring blood glucose levels in either mg/dL and mmol/L.Upon selecting the units, focus indexes to a correction-bolus-factorfield 394 in which the user scrolls to and selects a desired correctionfactor. The correction factor is the amount that the user's bloodglucose drops for each unit of delivered insulin. In one possibleembodiment, the user scrolls through values ranging from 5 mg/dL to 200mg/dL (or 0.2 mmol/L to 12 mmol/L). When the desired correction factoris set, focus indexes to a duration-of-activity field 398.

Additionally, the pump 100 calculates the average correction value for apredetermined number of days beginning with the previous day andextending backwards in time, and then displays 396 the averagecorrection factor together with the correction-bolus-factor field 394.In the illustrated example, the pump 100 displays the average correctionfactor for the previous seven days. As discussed above, otherembodiments average the correction factor over other periods of time. Inyet other embodiments the user can select the period of time over whichto average the correction factor. Within the duration-of-activity field398, the user scrolls to and selects the duration of time over whichinsulin remains in the user's body. This amount will vary from user touser depending on a variety of factors including physical traits of theuser and the type of insulin that is used. In one possible embodiment,the user scrolls through durations in the range from 2 hours to 6 hours.When the duration is set, the pump 100 returns to the PersonalizeDelivery submenu 302.

Referring now to FIG. 19, the user delivers a correction bolus byselecting the correction bolus menu item from the main menu 190. Thepump 100 then displays an amount field 400 in which the user enters theamount by which they would like to lower their blood glucose. The userscrolls to and selects the desired amount. The pump 100 then calculatesa recommended bolus and indexes focus to a recommend-bolus field 402.The pump 100 also displays a banner 403 with the recommend-bolus field402 which reads “Bolus to Lower BG X?” where X is the amount that theuser entered to lower his or her blood glucose. The pump 100 calculatesthe recommended bolus according to the equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{{Correction}\mspace{14mu}{Bolus}} = \frac{{Drop}\mspace{14mu}{in}\mspace{14mu}{Glucose}\mspace{14mu}{Level}}{{Correction}\mspace{14mu}{Factor}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$and displays the recommended correction bolus in the recommend-bolusfield 402. The user can adjust the recommended correction bolus byincrementing the recommend amount up or down using the up and down keys142 and 144, respectively.

When the desired correction bolus is displayed in the recommend-bolusfield 402, the user activates the Deliver function 384 and the pump 100presents a verification display 404 that presents the bolus amount and acountdown timer. The pump 100 also assigns a stop function 406 to thefirst function key 138. The pump 100 then counts down a predeterminedperiod of time, such as 5 seconds, and begins to deliver the bolus afterthe countdown timer times out. If the user activates the Stop function406 while the timer is still counting down, the pump 100 will canceldelivery of the bolus and return to the home page 152.

During delivery of the bolus, the pump 100 displays a banner 408 in thescreen stating the bolus is delivering and the amount of the bolus. Thepump 100 then returns to the home page 152 after delivery of the bolusis complete.

Additionally, the pump 100 has a duration of activity program thatdetermines whether any bolus that was previously delivered is stillactive. If a previous bolus is still active, the pump 100 calculates theestimated amount of insulin that is still active in the patient's bodyaccording to the equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{{Residual}\mspace{14mu}{Insulin}} = \frac{\begin{matrix}{{Last}\mspace{14mu}{Bolus}\mspace{14mu}{Amount} \times} \\{\left( {{Duration} - {{Time}\mspace{14mu}{Since}\mspace{14mu}{Last}\mspace{14mu}{Bolus}}} \right)\;}\end{matrix}\;}{Duration}} & (2)\end{matrix}$if (Duration−Time Since Last Bolus)≧0, otherwise Residual Insulin=0.where Residual Insulin is the amount of insulin from a previouscorrection bolus still active within the user's body, Last Bolus Amountis the amount of the last correction bolus, Duration is the duration ofinsulin, which is set as described in conjunction with FIG. 15, and TimeSince Last Bolus is the amount of time lapsed since the last correctionbolus was delivered. Additionally, there could be more than onecorrection boluses still active within the user's body. In thissituation, equation 2 is used to calculate the residual insulin fromeach of the still active correction boluses and the amount of residualinsulin for each of the previous correction boluses is summed todetermine Residual Insulin.

The pump 100 then calculates an adjusted correction bolus according tothe equation:Reduced Correction Bolus=Correction Bolus−Residual Insulin  (3)

The pump 100 then displays the reduced recommended corrected bolus inthe correction-bolus field 402 rather than the recommended correctionbolus. The display also presents a banner (not shown) with therecommended-bolus field that indicates that the recommended bolus isreduced to accommodate residual bolus insulin that is still working inthe user's body. An example of such a banner is “*reduced for insulinon-board”.

In an alternative embodiment, when the user selects the Correction Bolusmenu item from the main menu 190, the pump 100 indexes to a display thatpresents the correction factor, displays the user's target blood glucoselevel, and displays a current-blood-glucose field that prompts the userto enter the user's current blood glucose level. The user scrolls to andselects their current blood glucose level. The pump 100 then calculatesthe appropriate amount of the bolus to lower the user's blood glucoselevel to the target value and then presents the verification display. Inthis embodiment, the pump 100 calculates the desired drop in the glucoselevel, and the pump 100 calculates the correction bolus according to theequation:

$\begin{matrix}{{{Correction}\mspace{14mu}{Bolus}} = \frac{\begin{matrix}{{{Current}\mspace{14mu}{Glucose}\mspace{14mu}{Level}} -} \\{{Target}\mspace{14mu}{Glucose}\mspace{14mu}{Level}}\end{matrix}}{{Correction}\mspace{14mu}{Factor}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$M. Meal Bolus Programs

A meal bolus is a bolus that the pump delivers in anticipation of a mealthat the user plans to consume. In one possible embodiment, the amountof the meal bolus is based on how much insulin is required to workagainst the carbohydrates that the user plans to consume. There areseveral types of meal bolus programs that the pump 100 may include. Onetype is a standard bolus in which the pump 100 delivers the meal bolus apredetermined time prior to when the user consumes the meal or snack.The standard program delivers the bolus at the maximum rate that thepump 100 is able to deliver it. As explained below, the standard programcan be set for programming in either units of insulin or number ofcarbohydrates. Another type of meal bolus that the pump 100 can beprogrammed to deliver is an extended bolus in which the pump 100delivers the meal bolus over an extended period. Yet another type ofmeal bolus that the pump 100 can be programmed to deliver is acombination bolus in which the pump 100 immediately delivers a portionof the meal bolus and the balance of the meal bolus over an extendedperiod of time.

Referring to FIG. 20, to instruct the pump 100 to program the standardmeal bolus in units of insulin and to otherwise personalize the mealbolus program, the user accesses the Personalize Delivery submenu 302.From the Personalize Delivery submenu 302, the user selects the MealBolus menu item and the pump 100 prompts 410 the user to select whetherto program in units of insulin or carbohydrates. The user selects unitsof insulin. The pump 100 then prompts 412 the user to select the maximumbolus that can be delivered. In one possible embodiment, the userscrolls through values in the range between 0 units and 40 units ofinsulin in increments of 1 until the desired value is highlighted. Next,the pump 100 prompts 414 the user to select the increments in which theuser can select the actual bolus to be delivered. In one possibleembodiment, the user scrolls between 0.05 units, 0.10 units, 0.50 units,and 1.00 units.

The pump 100 then prompts 416 the user to select whether to enable anextended bolus program and to display an Extended Bolus menu item withina Meal Bolus submenu 434 (FIG. 21). The extended bolus program isselected by selecting a yes value and disabled by selecting a no value.The pump 100 also prompts 418 the user to select whether to enable acombination bolus program and to display a Combo Bolus menu item withinthe Meal Bolus submenu 434. The combination bolus program is activatedby selecting a yes value and is disabled by selecting a no value. Thepump 100 then prompts 420 the user to choose whether to enable an audiobolus program. The user selects a yes value to enable the audio bolusprogram and selects a no value to disable the audio bolus program.

If the pump 100 is preprogrammed with one or more custom meal boluses,the pump prompts 422 the user to select whether to review or edit acustom bolus. If the user does not want to review or edit a custombolus, the user selects no and the pump 100 returns to the PersonalizeDelivery submenu 302. If the user selects yes, the pump 100 presents adisplay 424 entitled “Custom Bolus,” which lists the names 426 of theavailable custom meal bolus programs. The display 424 also presents acheck box 428 for each of the custom meal bolus programs 426. If acustom meal bolus program 426 is enabled, the check box 428 is set. If acustom meal bolus program 426 is not enabled, the check box 428 iscleared. When a custom meal bolus is enabled, it is displayed in theMeal Bolus submenu 434 as a separate menu item. If the custom meal bolusprogram is not enabled, it is not displayed in the Meal Bolus submenu434 and the user cannot execute the program.

To enable or disable a meal bolus program, the user scrolls to thedesired custom meal bolus program and activates the Edit function 254.The pump 100 presents a display 430 entitled “Custom Bolus: X,” where Xis the name of the selected custom meal bolus program. In theillustrated example, the title of the display is Custom Meal Bolus:Pizza”. Upon activating the Edit function 254, the pump 100 prompts 432the user to select either a yes value or no value. If the user selectsthe yes value, the pump 100 enables the custom meal bolus program 426and displays the name of the program as a menu item in the Meal Bolussubmenu 434. If the user selects the no value, the pump 100 disables thecustom meal bolus program 426 and does not display the name of theprogram as menu item in the Meal Bolus submenu 434. After the yes or novalue is selected, the pump 100 returns to the “Custom Bolus” display424.

The user repeats this procedure from the “Custom Bolus” display 424 foreach custom meal bolus program 426 for which they desire to change theenabled state. When the user is done changing the enabled states for theavailable custom meal bolus programs 426, the user activates the Donefunction 212 in the “Custom Bolus” display 424. The pump 100 thenreturns to the Personalize Delivery submenu 302.

Additionally, in one possible embodiment, if there are no custom mealbolus programs available for the user to enable, the pump 100automatically returns to the Personalize Delivery submenu 302 after theuser instructs 420 the pump 100 whether to enable an Audio Bolus.

FIG. 21 illustrates administration of a standard meal bolus when thepump 100 is set to program meal boluses using units of insulin. The userselects the meal bolus menu item from the main menu, and the pumpindexes to a Meal Bolus submenu 434. The meal bolus submenu 434 liststhe available meal bolus programs. Examples include the standard mealbolus program, the extended meal bolus program, the combination mealbolus program, and any enabled custom meal bolus programs. In theillustrated example, only the extended meal bolus program is enabled andthus the Meal Bolus submenu 434 includes a Standard Bolus and anExtended Bolus. The user highlights the Standard Menu item and the pump100 prompts 436 the user to enter the number of units to deliver. In onepossible embodiment, the user can scroll through values in the rangefrom 0 units to 17 units in increments of 0.5 units.

If the pump 100 is programmed to enable administration of a correctionbolus through the Meal Bolus program, the pump 100 prompts 436 the userto enter the number of units to deliver as a meal bolus. The user thenactivates the Deliver function 384 and the pump 100 prompts 438 the userto enter the amount by which they want to lower their blood glucoselevel. In one possible embodiment, the user enters the amount byscrolling through values in units of either mg/dL or mmol/L. When thedesired drop in blood glucose is entered, the user activates the Nextfunction 200, which causes the pump 100 to calculate a recommended bolusamount and to display a user interface with the banner 439 stating“Bolus to Lower BG X plus Y meal bolus.” X is the amount the userentered to lower the blood glucose level, and Y is the amount of themeal bolus entered by the user.

The user interface also displays the recommended bolus amount 440 todeliver. The recommended bolus amount 440 is the recommended correctionbolus as calculated above, plus the amount of the meal bolus. Thisfeature allows the user to correct a high blood glucose level anddeliver additional insulin to work against carbohydrates that they planto consume. The user can adjust the recommended bolus amount byincreasing or decreasing the recommended bolus amount by scrolling up ordown. In one possible embodiment, the user scrolls in increments of 0.5units. Once the desired bolus amount is set, the user activates theDeliver function 384.

Activating the Deliver function 384 causes the pump 100 to start acountdown timer and display a banner 404 that states a bolus will bedelivered in predetermined time. In one possible embodiment, that timeis 5 seconds and the pump 100 displays the bolus amount in the banner404. An example of a possible banner states “Bolus X Delivery Starts in5 Seconds,” where X is the bolus amount. The pump 100 also assigns aStop function 406 to the first function key 138.

If the user activates the Stop function 406 before the countdown timertimes out, the pump 100 will terminate delivery of the bolus and returnto the home page 152. If the user does not activate the Stop function406, when the timer times out, the pump 100 will begin to deliver thebolus and display a banner 408 stating that the bolus is beingdelivered. An example of such a banner is “Bolus X is Delivering”, whereX is the bolus amount. When delivery of the bolus is complete, the pump100 returns to the home page 152.

In an alternative embodiment, when the pump 100 is programmed to enableadministration of a correction bolus through a Meal Bolus, the pump 100displays a user interface entitled Current Blood Glucose.” The pump 100calculates the current correction factor and displays the correctionfactor in the user interface. The pump 100 also displays the targetblood glucose level. The user then enters his or her current bloodglucose level in units of either mg/dL or mmol/L, by scrolling through arange of values until the current blood glucose level is displayed. Inthis embodiment, the target blood glucose level and the appropriateunits are programmed into the pump 100 when personalizing the correctionbolus program as described herein. Once the user enters the currentblood glucose level, the user activates the Next function 200 and thepump 100 calculates a recommended bolus amount, using the equations setforth above, and adds it to the meal bolus. The pump 100 displays theuser interface with the banner “Bolus to Lower BG X plus Y Meal Bolus”439. The user can then change the amount 440 and activate the Deliverfunction 384 to begin delivery of the bolus as described above.

Additionally, in one possible embodiment, the pump 100 adjusts therecommended bolus based on the meal bolus or the meal bolus plus thecorrection bolus to accommodate insulin on board or residual insulinthat is still working within the user's body. In this embodiment, theamount of the adjusted correction bolus is adjusted using the equationsdescribed above in conjunction with the duration-of-activity function.The methods of adjusting the bolus amount for insulin on board isdescribed above.

Referring to FIG. 22, to instruct the pump 100 to program the standardmeal bolus in number of carbohydrates consumed and to otherwisepersonalize the meal bolus program, the user accesses the PersonalizeDelivery submenu 302. From the Personalize Delivery submenu 302, theuser selects the Meal Bolus menu item and the pump 100 then prompts 442the user to select whether to program in units of insulin orcarbohydrates. The user highlights units of carbohydrates and activatesthe Next function 200. The pump 100 prompts 444 the user to enter theircarbohydrate ratio, which is the number or grams of carbohydrates thateach unit of insulin will counteract. The pump 100 also calculates thehistorical average carbohydrate ratio 445 for a predeterminedtime-period and displays that historical average with the prompt 444. Inone possible embodiment, the historical average is for the previous7-day period. As discussed above, other embodiments average thecarbohydrate ratio over other periods of time. In yet other embodimentsthe user can select the period of time over which to average thecarbohydrate ratio.

The user enters the carbohydrate ratio by scrolling through values in apredetermined range such as from 0 gm/u to 50 gm/u in increments of 1.When the desired number of carbohydrates is set, the user activates theNext function 200 and the pump 100 prompts 446 the user to set theincrement by which the user would like to be able to scroll through thenumber of carbohydrates when programming the pump 100 to deliver a mealbolus. In one possible embodiment, the user can set the desiredincrement between 1 and 15 grams.

The pump 100 prompts 448 the user to enter the maximum bolus that can bedelivered. In one possible embodiment, the user scrolls through valuesin the range between 0 units and 40 units of insulin in increments of 1until the desired value is highlighted. The pump 100 then prompts 450the user to enter the increments in which the user can select the actualbolus to be delivered. In one possible embodiment, the user scrollsbetween 0.05 units, 0.10 units, 0.50 units, and 1.00 units and activatesthe Next function 200.

The pump prompts 452 the user to select whether to enable an extendedbolus program and to display an Extended Bolus menu item within the MealBolus submenu 434. The extended bolus program is enabled by highlightingand activating a yes value and not enabled by highlighting and selectinga no value. The pump 100 also prompts 454 the user to select whether toenable a combination bolus program and to display a Combo Bolus menuitem within a Meal Bolus submenu 434. The combination bolus program isenabled by highlighting and activating a yes value and not enabled byhighlighting and selecting a no value. The user activates the Nextfunction 200 to index through these prompts 452 and 454. The pump 100then prompts 456 the user to choose whether to enable an audio bolusprogram. The user selects a yes value to enable the audio bolus programand selects a no value to not enable the audio bolus program and thenactivates the next function 200.

If the pump 100 is preprogrammed with one or more custom meal boluses,the pump 100 then prompts 458 the user to select whether to review oredit a custom bolus. If the user does not want to review or edit acustom bolus, the user selects no and the pump 100 returns to thePersonalize Delivery submenu 302. If the user selects yes, the pumpindexes to a display 460 entitled “Custom Bolus,” which lists the names462 of the available custom programs. In the illustrated example, thereare four custom boluses available on the pump, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,and Snack.

The screen also presents a check box 464 for each of the custom mealbolus programs 462. If a custom meal bolus program is enabled, the pump100 sets the check box 464. If a custom meal bolus program is notenabled, the pump 100 clears the check box 464. When a custom meal bolusprogram is enabled, it is displayed in the Meal Bolus submenu 434 as aseparate menu item. If the custom meal bolus program is not enabled, itis not displayed in the Meal Bolus submenu 434 and the user cannotexecute the custom meal bolus program.

To enable or disable a custom meal bolus program, the user selects thedesired custom meal bolus program and activates the Edit function 254.The pump 100 indexes to a display 466 entitled “Custom Bolus: X,” whereX is the name 462 of the selected custom meal bolus program. In theillustrated example, the title of the display 466 is Custom Meal Bolus:Breakfast”. The user interface 466 prompts 468 the user to instruct thepump 100 whether to display the custom meal bolus in the Meal Bolussubmenu 434 by entering either a yes value or no value. If the userselects the yes value and activates the next function 200, the pump 100prompts 470 the user to enter the carbohydrate ratio to use with thecustom meal bolus program. The value of the carbohydrate ratio 470 mayor may not be the same value as the carbohydrate ratio 444. The userenters the carbohydrate ratio by scrolling through values in apredetermined range such as from 0 gm/u to 50 gm/u in increments of 1.When the desired number of carbohydrates is set, the user activates theNext function 200 and the pump 100 returns to the “Custom Bolus” submenu434.

If the user selects the no value at the prompt 468, the pump 100 willnot enable the custom meal bolus program and will not display menu itemfor the program in the Meal Bolus submenu 434. After the no value isentered, the pump 100 returns to the “Custom Bolus” display 460.

The user repeats this procedure from the “Custom Bolus” display 460 foreach custom bolus program for which they desire to change the enabledstate. When the user is done changing the enabled states for theavailable custom meal bolus programs, the user activates the Donefunction 212. The pump 100 then returns to the Personalize Deliverysubmenu 302.

Additionally, in one possible embodiment, if there are no custom mealbolus programs available for the user to enable, the pump 100automatically returns to the Personalize Delivery submenu 302 after theuser instructs 456 the pump 100 whether to enable an Audio Bolus.

FIG. 23 illustrates administration of a standard meal bolus when thepump 100 is set to program meal boluses using grams of carbohydrates.The user selects the meal bolus menu item from the main menu 190, andthe pump indexes to the Meal Bolus submenu 434. The meal bolus submenu434 lists the available meal bolus programs. Examples include thestandard meal bolus program, the extended meal bolus program, thecombination meal bolus program, and any enabled custom meal bolusprograms. In the illustrated example, only the extended meal bolusprogram is enabled and thus the meal bolus submenu includes a StandardBolus and an Extended Bolus.

The user selects the Standard Menu item and the pump 100 prompts 472 theuser to enter the number of carbohydrates that the user plans toconsume. The user interface also displays the current carbohydrate ratio473. The user sets the desired number of carbohydrates. In one possibleembodiment, the user scrolls through carbohydrates in the range from 0grams to 225 grams.

The user then activates the Next function 200 and the pump 100calculates a recommended size for the meal bolus using the equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{{Recommended}\mspace{14mu}{Meal}\mspace{14mu}{Bolus}} = \frac{{Grams}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{Carbohydrates}}{{Carbohydrate}\mspace{14mu}{Ratio}}} & (5)\end{matrix}$

The pump 100 displays 474 the recommended meal bolus. The user can thenadjust the size of the meal bolus by scrolling up or down. In onepossible embodiment, the pump 100 scrolls in increments of 1. Once thedesired bolus amount is set the user activates the Deliver function 384.

When the pump 100 is programmed to enable administration of a correctionbolus through a Meal Bolus, the pump 100 prompts 472 the user to enterthe number of carbohydrates to be consumed. The user then activates theNext function 200, and the pump 100 prompts 478 the user to enter theamount by which they want to lower their blood glucose level. The userthen activates the Next function 200, which causes the pump 100 tocalculate a recommended bolus amount and to display a user interfacewith a banner 482 stating “Bolus to Lower BG X plus Y grams ofcarbohydrates.” X is the amount by which the user entered to lower theblood glucose level, and Y is the number of carbohydrates that the userentered.

The pump 100 also displays the recommended bolus amount 480 to deliver.The recommended bolus amount 480 is the recommended correction bolusplus the amount of the meal bolus. This feature allows the user tocorrect a high blood glucose level and deliver additional insulin towork against carbohydrates that they plan to consume. The user canadjust the recommended bolus amount by increasing or decreasing therecommended bolus amount by scrolling up or down. In one possibleembodiment, the user scrolls in increments of 0.5 units. Once thedesired bolus amount is set, the user activates the Deliver function384.

Activating the Deliver function 384 causes the pump 100 to start thecountdown timer and display the banner 404 that states a bolus will bedelivered in predetermined time. In one possible embodiment, that timeis 5 seconds and the banner 404 also states the bolus amount. An exampleof a possible banner 404 states “Bolus X Delivery Starts in 5 Seconds,”where X is the bolus amount. The pump 100 also assigns a Stop function406 to the first function key 138.

If the user activates the Stop function 406 before the countdown timertimes out, the pump 100 will terminate delivery of the bolus and returnto the home page 152. If the user does not activate the Stop function406, when the timer times out, the pump 100 will begin to deliver thebolus and display the banner 408 stating that the bolus is beingdelivered. An example of such a banner is “Bolus X is Delivering”, whereX is the bolus amount. When delivery of the bolus is complete, the pumpreturns to the home page 152.

In an alternative embodiment, when the pump 100 is programmed to enableadministration of a correction bolus through a Meal Bolus, the pump 100prompts the user to enter their current blood glucose measurement. Thepump 100 calculates the current correction factor and also displays thecorrection factor and the target blood glucose level with the prompt.The user then enters his or her current blood glucose level in units ofeither mg/dL or mmol/L, by scrolling through a range of values until thecurrent blood glucose level is displayed. In this embodiment, the targetblood glucose level and the appropriate units are programmed into thepump when personalizing or customizing the correction bolus program.Once the user enters the current blood glucose level, the user activatesthe Next function 200 and the pump 100 calculates a recommended bolusamount and adds it to the meal bolus. The pump 100 displays the userinterface with the banner 482 “Bolus to Lower BG X plus Y grams ofcarbohydrates.” The user can then change the amount and activate theDeliver function 384 to begin delivery of the bolus as described above.

Additionally, in one possible embodiment, the pump 100 adjusts therecommended bolus based on the meal bolus or the meal bolus plus thecorrection bolus to accommodate insulin on board or residual insulinthat is still working within the user's body. In this embodiment, theamount of the adjusted correction bolus is adjusted using the equationsdescribed above in conjunction with the duration-of-activity function.The methods of adjusting the bolus amount for insulin on board isdescribed herein.

FIG. 24 illustrates administration of an extended bolus. The userselects the meal bolus menu item from the main menu 190, and the pump100 indexes to a Meal Bolus submenu 434. The meal bolus submenu 434lists the available meal bolus programs including the extended bolusprogram. In the illustrated example, the extended meal bolus program andthe combination bolus program are enabled and thus the meal bolussubmenu includes menu items for a standard bolus, an extended bolus, anda combination bolus.

The user selects the Extended Bolus menu item and, when the pump 100 isset to program in units of insulin, the pump prompts 484 the user toenter the number of units to deliver. In one possible embodiment, theuser can scroll through values in the range from 0 units to 17 units inincrements of 0.5 units. When the number of units for delivery areentered, the user activates the Next function 200 and the pump 100prompts 486 the user to enter the duration of length of time over whichthe extended bolus is to be delivered. In one possible embodiment, theuser enters a duration in the range of 0 minutes to 6 hours inincrements of 30 minutes.

When the duration is set, the pump 100 displays a user interface 488that presents the programmed amount 490 of the extended bolus and theduration 492 over which it is to be delivered. To begin delivery of theextended bolus, the user activates the Deliver function 384. The pump100 then begins delivering the extended bolus and will complete deliveryupon expiration of the duration.

Alternatively, when the pump 100 is set to program in grams ofcarbohydrates, the pump 100 prompts 484′ the user to enter the grams ofcarbohydrates that the user plans to consume rather than the units ofinsulin to deliver as an extended bolus. The pump 100 also prompts 486the user to enter the duration for the extended bolus. The pump 100displays 485 the carbohydrate ratio while prompting the user to enterthe grams of carbohydrates 484′ and the duration 486. The pump 100 thencalculates a recommended bolus amount 490′ using the carbohydrate ratioas described above and displays the recommended bolus amount 490′,together with the duration 492 in a user interface that confirms theparameters for delivery of the extended bolus. The user can adjust therecommended amount 490′ for the extended bolus by scrolling with the upand down keys 142 and 144. The user activates the Deliver function 384to begin delivery of the extended bolus using the parameters displayedin the user interface.

After delivery of the extended bolus begins, if the pump 100 isprogrammed to enable administration of a correction bolus through theMeal Bolus program, the pump 100 prompts 494 the user to enter theamount by which they want to lower their blood glucose level. The userthen activates the Next function 200 and the pump 100 prompts 496 theuser to enter the number of units to deliver as a meal bolus. In onepossible embodiment, the user enters the amount by scrolling throughvalues in units of either mg/dL or mmol/L. When the desired drop inblood glucose is entered, the user activates the Next function 200,which causes the pump 100 to calculate a recommended bolus amount and todisplay the banner 497 “Bolus to Lower BG X.” X is the amount by whichthe user entered to lower the blood glucose level.

The prompt 496 initially displays the recommended bolus amount todeliver. The recommended bolus amount is the recommended correctionbolus 490 or 490′, which the pump 100 calculates using the correctionfactor as discussed above. This feature allows the user to correct ahigh blood glucose level and deliver additional insulin to work againstcarbohydrates that they plan to consume. The user can adjust therecommended bolus amount 496 by increasing or decreasing the recommendedbolus amount 496 by using the up and down keys 142 and 144. In onepossible embodiment, the user scrolls in increments of 0.5 units. Oncethe desired bolus amount is set, the user activates the Deliver function384.

Activating the Deliver function 384 causes the pump 100 to display thebanner 404 that states a bolus will be delivered in predetermined time.In one possible embodiment, that time is 5 seconds and the pump 100displays the bolus amount 496 in the banner. An example of a possibleuser interface states “Bolus X Delivery Starts in 5 Seconds,” where X isthe amount of the correction bolus. The pump 100 also assigns the Stopfunction 406 to the first function key 138.

If the user activates the Stop function 406 before the countdown timertimes out, the pump 100 will terminate delivery of the correction bolusand return to the home page 152. In one possible embodiment, activatingthe Stop function 406 will terminate delivery of the correction bolus,but not the extended bolus. If the user does not activate the Stopfunction 406, when the timer times out, the pump 100 will begin todeliver the bolus and display the banner 408 stating that the bolus isbeing delivered. An example of such a banner is “Bolus X is Delivering”,where X is the bolus amount. When delivery of the bolus is complete, thepump 100 returns to the home page 152.

In an alternative embodiment, when the pump 100 is programmed to enableadministration of a correction bolus through a Meal Bolus, the pump 100prompts the user to enter their current blood glucose measurement. Thepump 100 calculates the current correction factor and displays thecorrection factor in the user interface. The pump 100 also displays thetarget blood glucose level. The user then enters his or her currentblood glucose level in units of either mg/dL or mmol/L, by scrollingthrough a range of values until the current blood glucose level isdisplayed. In this embodiment, the target blood glucose level and theappropriate units are programmed into the pump 100 when personalizingthe correction bolus program. Once the user enters the current bloodglucose level, the user activates the Next function 200 and the pump 100calculates a recommended bolus amount and adds it to the meal bolus. Thepump 100 displays the user interface with the banner “Bolus to Lower BGX plus Y Meal Bolus.” The user can then change the amount and activatethe Deliver function 384 to begin delivery of the bolus as describedabove.

Additionally, in one possible embodiment, the pump 100 adjusts therecommended correction bolus based on the meal bolus or the meal bolusplus the correction bolus to accommodate insulin on board or residualinsulin that is still working within the user's body. In thisembodiment, the amount of the adjusted correction bolus is adjustedusing the equations described above in conjunction with theduration-of-activity function. The methods of adjusting the bolus amountfor insulin on board is described herein.

Referring to FIG. 25, the user can suspend delivery of an extended bolusby activating the Suspend function 172 on the home page 152. Asdescribed above, the pump 100 prompts the user to select suspension ofall delivery or just the extended bolus. The user selects the extendedbolus. The pump 100 then prints the banner 386 indicating how much timeremains in the duration for the extended bolus and how much of theextended bolus remains to be delivered. The pump 100 also prompts theuser to confirm suspension. The user confirms suspension by activatingthe Yes function 178. The pump 100 then suspends delivery of theextended bolus and returns to pumping according to the normal basalrate. If the user activates the No function 180, the pump 100 willcontinue delivering according to the extended bolus and will return tothe home page 152.

Referring to FIG. 26, delivery of a combination bolus is programmed intothe pump in a manner similar to that of an extended bolus. However, thepump also prompts 498 the user to enter the proportion or percent of thebolus that the pump 100 delivers immediately upon activation of theDeliver function 384. To enter the proportion of the amount that isdelivered immediately, the user scrolls through percentages until thedesired percentage of the bolus for immediate delivery is set. In onepossible embodiment, the user scrolls through percentages in the rangefrom 0% to 100% in increments of 1. Additionally when programming thepump to deliver a combination bolus, the pump 100 displays 500 thepercentage of the bolus that is to be delivered immediately in theconfirmation user interface 488. In an alternative embodiment, the userenters the proportion or percent of the bolus that the pump 100 deliversover an extended period.

Referring to FIG. 27, the user can suspend delivery of a combinationbolus in a manner substantially similar to that of the extended bolusexcept that the pump 100 displays a combination bolus menu item in thesuspend menu. The user selects the combination bolus menu item tosuspend delivery of the combination bolus, and then confirms suspensionof the combination bolus.

N. Audio Bolus

Referring to FIG. 28, if audio bolus delivery is enabled, the user canprogram delivery of a standard meal bolus using a single button. Toprogram an audio bolus, the user presses 502 the audio bolus button 125once and the pump 100 begins the program for delivering a standard mealbolus. The pump 100 then generates an audible signal 504 in the form ofa beep and starts a button-detection timer 506. In an alternativeembodiment, the pump 100 does not generate the audible signal 504 andstarts the button-detection timer 506 immediately upon initiallypressing the audio bolus button 502.

The user then presses 512 the audio bolus button again to increment theamount to be delivered starting from 0. The user stops pressing theaudible bolus button 125 when the desired bolus amount is reached 518and 520. The amount of the increment is the increment size the user setwhen personalizing the meal bolus program. Each time the audio bolusbutton is pressed, the amount of the bolus increases by one increment.

The button-detection timer is reset 514 every time the audible bolusbutton is pressed. If the audible bolus button 125 is not pressed beforethe button-detection timer times out after the first time the audiblebolus button 125 is pressed, the pump 100 cancels 510 the programmingsequence. If the button-detection timer times out 516 while the user isincrementing the bolus amount, the pump 100 determines that the properbolus amount is set. The audio alarm 108 then generates a series ofbeeps 524 that includes one beep for each bolus increment that wasentered. This series of beeps provides an audible confirmation regardingthe amount of the meal bolus.

In one possible embodiment, after the last beep in the series of beeps,the pump 100 generates a final beep 526 to signal the end of the series.The final beep 526 has a different tone or volume than the beeps in theseries of beeps 524. In an alternative embodiment, the pump 100 does notgenerate the final beep 524.

If the amount of the bolus is correct, the user presses the audio bolusbutton 125 again and the meal bolus program starts a countdown timer528, which gives the user time to cancel delivery of the bolus. When thecountdown timer times out 530, the pump 100 delivers 532 the meal bolus.

In an example, if the increment count is set at 0.5 units and the userdesires to program a standard meal bolus of 2 units, the user wouldpress the audio bolus once to initiate programming the standard mealbolus and then four more times to increment the bolus amount to 2 units.After the fourth button is pushed, the user pauses and theaudible-button timer times out. The pump 100 then generates a series offour beeps to signal that the bolus amount was incremented four timesand a final beep to signal completion of the series of beeps. Thecountdown time would then begin to run, and the pump 100 would deliver ameal bolus of 2 units when the countdown timer times out.

Additionally, the bolus is set in either units of insulin or grams ofcarbohydrates depending on whether the pump 100 is set for programmingin units of insulin or grams of carbohydrates, respectively. If the pumpis set to program meal boluses in units of insulin, then each incrementusing the meal bolus button increments the bolus amount in units ofinsulin. If the bolus is set in to program meal boluses in grams ofcarbohydrates, then each increment using the meal bolus button 125increments the bolus amount in grams of carbohydrates.

In one possible embodiment, the pump 100 displays the user interfacethat corresponds to the programming step being performed. For example,the user interface for entering the bolus amount is displayed after theuser initiates the Audible bolus function by pressing the audible bolusbutton a first time. The bolus amount is initially set at 0. Every timethe user presses the audible bolus button 125 after the first time andbefore the audible-button timer times out, the bolus amount displayed inthe user interface will increment one time. A confirmation banner 404(FIG. 19) will be displayed while the series of confirmation beeps aregenerated, and the user interface displaying the countdown timer isdisplayed while the countdown timer is running Additionally, the Stopfunction is assigned to the first function key 138. The pump 100delivers the bolus and returns to the home page 152 after the countdowntimer times-out.

O. Computer-Pump Communication and Programming

In one possible embodiment, the pump 100 can communicate with acomputer. The computer can upload information from the pump 100,including the historical information generated by and stored on the pump100. The computer can archive the historical information and maintain acomplete historical record about the pump 100. Additionally, thecomputer can generate various reports regarding use of the pump 100,including information about delivery rates, bolus amounts, and alarms.Additionally, the computer can operate a program that allows the user toenter operating parameters for the various delivery programs that areloaded on the pump 100 and to download those operating parameters to thepump 100. In yet another possible embodiment, the computer can be usedto download delivery programs and software updates to the pump 100.

Referring to FIG. 29, in one possible embodiment, a computer 534 is adesktop computer that is IBM PC compatible, although other computers canbe used. For example, the computer 534 could be an Apple computer,portable computer, a hand-held computer, a mainframe computer, acomputer that is connected to a network. The computer 534 has a monitor536, a storage device 538, and an infrared (IR) communication port 540.The pump 100 communicates with the computer through the IR port 120 onthe pump 100 and the IR communication port 540 of the computer 534. Inother embodiments, the pump 100 and computer 534 communicate throughother types of data links such as a wireless or radio frequency (RF)connection or a wired connection such as USB, RS232, Fire wire, etc.

Communication between a medical pump and a computer is also discussed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,935,099, the disclosure of which was incorporated byreference above.

Referring to FIG. 30A, the software operating on the computer 534generates a user interface 542 that allows a user to view, edit, andenter operating parameters for the various delivery programs that areloaded on the insulin pump 100. In one possible embodiment, the userinterface 542 has a plurality of stacked primary windows 544 a-544 e.Each primary window includes a tab 546 a-546 e and data entry featuresfor entering profile settings for the delivery programs. A basalprograms primary window 544 a is associated with the basal deliveryprograms, and is marked with a tab 546 a bearing the name BasalPrograms. A meal boluses primary window 544 b is associated with themeal bolus delivery programs, and is marked with a tab 546 b bearing thename Meal Boluses. A correction boluses primary window 544 c isassociated with the correction bolus deliver programs, and is markedwith a tab 546 c bearing the name Correction Boluses. A temporary ratesprimary window 544 d is associated with the temporary rate deliveryprograms, and is marked with tab 546 d bearing the name Temporary Rates.

A primary window 544 can include a variety of different data entryfeatures for entering the operating parameters including text, numbers,flags, or the like. Examples of the data entry features include buttons,check boxes, spin boxes, text fields, numeric fields, and tables. Thebuttons and check boxes are alternatively set and cleared by clicking onthem with a pointing device such as a mouse. Each spin box is associatedwith up and down buttons and contains a list of values. The user setsthe desired value by spinning though the list of values with the up anddown keys until the desired value is visible in the spin box. The tableshave rows of cells and a scroll bar. The user can manipulate the scrollbar with a pointing device to scroll through the available rows withinthe table. Additionally, each primary window has a download button, anupload button, and a save button.

The primary window on the top of the stack is active, and the user canenter, edit, and view operating parameters in the active primary window.The user can bring any one of the primary windows to the top of thestack by clicking on the primary window's tab.

Still referring to FIG. 30A, the first primary window 544 a, which isfor setting the operating parameters for the basal programs, has threepanels. The first panel 548 has a spin box 550 for setting the maximumbasal rate for the insulin pump. The spin box 550 is displayed in afirst group box 549. The user spins though available values until thedesired maximum basal rate is visible within the spin box 550. Themaximum basal rate set in the spin box will apply to all of the basaldelivery programs. In the illustrated example, there are four possiblebasal delivery programs. The first spin box 550 is present in a firstgroup box.

The second panel 552 of the screen has one secondary window 554 a-554 dfor each of the basal delivery programs. The secondary windows arestacked and are marked with tabs 556 a-556 d. Each tab 556 is markedwith the name of the basal program associated with the tab's secondarywindow 554. The secondary window 554 on the top of the stack is active,and the user can enter, edit, and view operating parameters in theactive secondary window. The user clicks on the tab 556 for any givensecondary window to bring it to the top of the stack. In the illustratedexample, there are four basal delivery programs and hence four secondarywindows named Basal 1554 a, Basal 2554 b, Basal 3554 c, and Basal 4554d.

Each secondary window 554 has a button 558, a check box 560, and a textfield 562 organized into a second group box 564 for setting programpreferences. A table 566 and a graph 568 are organized into a thirdgroup box 570 and are for naming, setting, and viewing the basaldelivery rates. To activate a basal delivery program, the user sets thebutton 558 by clicking on it. Any other basal program that was activebecomes inactive and the button for the previously active basal deliveryprogram is cleared. Additionally, an asterisk is placed in the tab 556for the active basal delivery program so that the user can easilyidentify the active basal delivery program if the secondary window 554for that basal delivery program is not on top of the stack. When theoperating parameters for the basal delivery programs are downloaded tothe pump 100, the basal delivery program in which the button 558 is setwill become the active basal delivery program on the pump 100.

To display the basal delivery program as a menu item in the BasalProgram submenu 318 (FIG. 13) on the pump 100, the user sets thecheckbox 560. When the operating parameters for the basal programs aredownloaded to the pump 100, the name for the basal program is displayedas a menu item in the Basal Program submenu 318.

To customize the name of the basal delivery program, the user types thecustom name into the text field 562. The custom name is assigned to thebasal delivery program and appears in the tab 556 for that program.Additionally, the custom name is the name downloaded into the pump 100and appears in the Basal Program submenu 318, if the checkbox 560 isset. In an alternative embodiment, a spin box is associated with thetext field 562. The spin box presents preprogrammed, optional names forthe basal delivery programs that the user can select. The selected namewould then replace the generic name (e.g., Basal 1, Basal 2, Basal 3,and Basal 4 in the illustrated example) for the program associated withthe display. Examples of optional names that might be loaded in the pump100 include weekday, weekend, sick, and monthly (which is to designate abasal delivery program set for a woman's menstrual cycle).

The basal rate table 566 or grid has a plurality of rows 572 and eachrow has two cells 574 and 576. When a cell within the table 566 hasfocus and the user presses the enter key or the tab key, the focusshifts to the next cell to the right. If the current cell is the lastcell in the row, focus shifts to the first cell in the next row. If theuser presses the enter key while the last cell in the last row is infocus, a new row is created. In this manner, the user can expand thelength of the table 572. If the user presses the enter key while thelast cell of a row is in focus and there is no data in any cell withinthat row, the computer will delete the row. The one exception is thefirst row in the table, which cannot be deleted.

The first cell within a row is a start-time cell 574, and the secondcell within a row is a delivery-rate cell 576. Each row corresponds to adifferent interval in the delivery protocol for the basal deliveryprogram. To set the delivery protocol for a basal program, the userenters the start time for each delivery interval in the start-time cell574 and the delivery rate in the delivery-rate cell 576. The pump 100will then deliver at the set delivery rate beginning at the set starttime and until the start time for the next delivery interval. In onepossible embodiment, the start time for the first interval is 12:00midnight and cannot be changed.

Accordingly, to set the delivery protocol for the basal deliveryprogram, the user types the start time in the start-time cell 574, hitsthe enter key and changes the focus to the delivery-rate cell 576 to theright. The user then types in the delivery rate for that interval, hitsthe cell key, and changes the focus to the start-time cell in the nextrow (creating the row if the next row does not already exist). A new rowwill appear in which the user can enter the operating parameters foranother delivery interval. The user continues this process until theoperating parameters for all of the desired intervals are entered intothe table.

In an alternative embodiment, when a cell has focus, a spin box havingup and down buttons is presented in that cell. The user can either typea value into the spin box or spin through values until a desired valueis visible in the spin box. When the cell and hence the spin box losesfocus, the visible value from the spin box is entered into thecorresponding cell and the spin box becomes invisible.

The graph 568 provides a graphical illustration of the delivery rate forthe basal delivery program over a 24-hour period. In one possibleembodiment, the graph 568 is a bar chart illustrating the delivery ratein a resolution of 30 minutes. In the illustrated example, Basal 1 isset to deliver 2 units/hour from 12:00 midnight to 2:00 am, 2.5units/hour from 2:00 am to 3:00 am, etc.

In one possible embodiment, the graph 568 is automatically updated asthe user completes entering the start time and delivery rate for eachdelivery interval. Additionally, the total daily basal rate is displayed578, and is automatically calculated and updated as the user completesentering the start time and delivery rate for each delivery interval.Entry of data for an interval is complete when the user enters the starttime and delivery rate for the interval and exits both the start-timecell 574 and the delivery-rate cell 576.

The third panel 580 presents instructions to the user. In one possibleembodiment, the user interface presents a help label 582 (e.g., thequestion mark in the illustrated example) in each of the group boxes549, 564, and 570. When the user clicks on a help label 582,instructions specific to the group box or other aspects of the userinterface associated with the help label are presented in the thirdpanel. Alternatively, the user can point to a particular aspect of theuser interface and right click on the mouse to present field-specificinstructions in the third panel.

FIG. 30B illustrates the second primary window 544 b, which is forsetting the operating parameters of the meal bolus delivery programs.The meal bolus primary window includes two panels. The first panel 584has a pair buttons 586, a first spin box 588, a second spin box 590, athird spin box 592, a fourth spin box 594, a first check box 596, asecond check box 598, a third check box 600, and a meal bolus table 602.

The pair of buttons 586 and spin boxes 588, 590, 592, and 594 arepresent in a first group box 604, the check boxes 596, 598, and 600 arepresented in a second group box 606, and the table 602 is present in athird group box 608. The pair of buttons 586 is for setting the mealbolus delivery program to use either units of insulin or grams ofcarbohydrates. The pair of buttons 586 toggle between set and clearedstates so that when one is set the other cleared. The user set the firstbutton to program the meal bolus programs in units of insulin and setsthe second button to program the meal bolus programs in grams ofcarbohydrates

The first spin box 588 is for setting the maximum bolus that the pump100 can deliver when executing the meal bolus program. The second spinbox 590 is for setting the users carbohydrate ratio. The third spin box592 is for programming in units of insulin and is for setting theincrements at which a user can spin through bolus amounts. The fourthspin box 594 is for programming in grams of carbohydrates and is forsetting the increments at which a user can spin through grams ofcarbohydrates to be consumed in a meal.

When the user sets the first button for programming in units of insulin,the third spin box 592 is enabled, and the second 590 and fourth 594spin boxes are disabled. When the user sets the second button forprogramming in grams of carbohydrates, the second 590 and fourth 594spin boxes are enabled, and the third spin box 592 is disabled.

To enable the extended bolus program, the user sets the first check box596. To enable the combination bolus program, the user sets the secondcheck box 598. To enable the audio bolus function, the user sets thethird check box 600.

The custom meal bolus table 602 has a plurality of rows 610, each rowhas a plurality of cells. The user navigates through the meal bolustable 602 using procedures substantially similar to that of the basalrate table. Also similar to the basal rate table, the custom meal bolustable 602 can have various spin boxes that become visible when a cellhas focus. The spin boxes are for entering values and pre-typed textinto the cell with which it is associated.

Within the meal bolus table 602, each row has seven cells. The firstcell 612 has a check box 613. To enable the custom meal bolus defined bythat row, the user sets the check box 613. The second cell 614 has atext field in which the user types a name to identify the custom mealbolus defined by that row. An example includes pizza, when the operatingparameters for the custom meal bolus are customized to deliver insulinfor working against a meal of pizza. Other examples, might includebreakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, or any other specific type of food,drink, or meal.

The third cell 616 contain a text field for entering the type of custommeal bolus, whether it is a standard bolus, an extend bolus, or acombination bolus. In one possible embodiment, a spin box is presentedin the third cell 616 when focus is placed on the cell. The user canthen spin through the types of bolus (e.g., standard, extended, orcombination) and set the desired type. The fourth cell 618 is a numericfield for entering the number of units to be delivered by the bolusprogram defined by that row. The fifth cell 620 is a time field in whichthe user enters the duration of the bolus delivery if the bolus programdefined by that row is an extended bolus or a combination bolus. Thesixth cell 622 is a numeric field in which the user enters the percentof the bolus to be delivered immediately if the bolus program defined bythat row is a combination bolus.

The seventh cell 624 is a numeric field in which the user enters thecarbohydrate ratio the pump 100 is to use when calculating the bolusamount to deliver. The seventh cell 624 allows the user to enter acustomized carbohydrate ratio independent of the value set in the secondspin box 590. For example, a user might use one carbohydrate for acustom meal bolus to be delivered before an early morning breakfast anda different carbohydrate ratio for a custom meal bolus to be deliveredbefore an evening dinner or snack.

If the type of meal bolus set in the third cell (Type of Meal Bolus) 616is standard, the fifth cell (Duration) 620 and sixth cell (% asImmediate) 622 are disabled and cleared. If the type of meal bolus setin the third cell 616 is an extended bolus, the fifth cell 620 isenabled and the sixth cell 622 is disabled and cleared. If the type ofmeal bolus set in the third cell 616 is set as a combination bolus, thefifth 620 and sixth 622 cells are enabled.

Additionally, because a meal bolus delivery program execute operatingparameters that are in either units of insulin or grams of carbohydrate,any given row 610 in the meal bolus table 602 can accept a value ineither the fourth cell 618 for units of insulin or the seventh cell 624for the carbohydrate ratio. If the fourth cell 618 is populated with avalue, the seventh cell 624 is disabled. If the seventh cell 624 ispopulated with a value, the fourth cell 618 is disabled. In one possibleembodiment, when the user sets the first button for programming in unitsof insulin, the check box 613 is set in the first cell 612 for each row610 in which there is a units of insulin value in the fourth cell 618.The check box 613 in the first cell 612 is cleared for each row 610 inwhich there is a carbohydrate value in the seventh cell 624. Similarly,when the user sets the second button for programming in grams ofcarbohydrates, the check box 613 is set in the first cell 612 for eachrow 610 in which there is a carbohydrate value in the seventh cell 624.The check box 613 in the first cell 612 is cleared for each row 610 inwhich there is a units of insulin value in the fourth cell 618.

The second panel 626 in the primary window 544 b for the meal bolusdelivery programs presents instructions. It operates in a mannersubstantially similar to the third, instruction panel 580 in the firstprimary window 544 a for the basal rate delivery programs as describedabove.

FIG. 30C illustrates the third primary window 544 c, which is forsetting the operating parameters for the correction bolus deliveryprogram. The primary window 544 c contains two panels. The first panel628 has buttons, check boxes, and spin boxes. A first group box 630 inthe first panel 628 has first and second check boxes 632 and 634. Tocontrol the pump 100 to make the correction bolus delivery programavailable through the main menu 190 and to display a correction bolusmenu item in the main menu 190, the first check box 632 is set. To makethe correction bolus program available through the meal bolus deliveryprograms described above, the second check box 634 is set.

A pair of buttons 636 set the units for the operating parameters used bythe correction bolus program. The pair of buttons 636 toggle between setand cleared states so that when one is set the other is cleared. Thefirst button is set to use mg/dL and the second button is set to usemmol/l. A first spin box 638 is for setting the correction bolus factor.When the first spin box 638 is in focus, the user spins through valueuntil the desired correction factor is set. The pair of buttons 636 andthe first spin box 638 are organized into a second group box 640.

A second spin box 642 is for setting the duration of activity or actionfor the insulin. As discussed above, the duration of activity is thelength of time that each bolus remains working in the user's body. Toenter the duration of activity, the user spins through values in thesecond spin box 642 until the desired value is set. The second spin box642 is in a third group box 644.

The second panel 646 in the primary window 544 c for the correctionbolus delivery program presents instructions. It operates in a mannersubstantially similar to the third, instruction panel 580 in the firstprimary window 544 a for the basal rate delivery programs as describedabove.

FIG. 30D illustrates the fourth primary window 544 d, which is forsetting operating parameters for the temporary rate programs. Theprimary window 544 d has two panels. The first panel 648 has a firstcheck box 650, a second check box 652, a third check box 654, a pair ofbuttons 656, a spin box 658, and a temporary rate table 660. The firstcheck box 650 and pair of buttons 656 are in a first group box 662. Thesecond 652 and third 654 check boxes and the spin box 658 are in asecond group box 664. The table 660 is in a third group box 666.

The pair of buttons 656 sets the temporary rate either as a percentageof the running basal rate or as a new temporary basal rate. The pair ofbuttons 656 toggle between set and cleared states so that when onebutton is set the other button is cleared. The user sets the firstbutton to set the temporary rate as a percent of the basal rate. Theuser sets the second button to set the temporary rate as a new,temporary basal rate.

To set a reminder so that the pump 100 intermittently generates areminder (audible and/or vibratory) while the temporary rate program isrunning, the user sets the second check box 652. When the second checkbox 652 is set, the spin box 658 is enabled. The spin box 658 is forsetting the interval between reminders. The spin box 658 is disabledwhen the second check box 652 is cleared. To set the pump 100 togenerate a final reminder upon completion of the temporary rate, theuser sets the third check box 654.

The temporary rate table 660 has a plurality of rows 668, and each row668 contains a plurality of cells. The user navigates through thetemporary rate table 660 using procedures substantially similar to thatof the basal rate table. Also similar to the basal rate table 602, thetemporary rate table 660 can have various spin boxes that become visiblewhen a cell has focus. The spin boxes are for entering values andpre-typed text into the cell with which it is associated.

Within the temporary rate table 660, each row has six cells. The firstcell 670 has a check box 672. To enable the temporary rate defined bythat row, the user sets the check box 672. The second cell 674 has atext field in which the user types a name to identify the temporary ratedefined by that row. Examples might include exercise, 5-mile run, sick,evening, and the like. The third cell 676 is a text field to set thetemporary rate to be programmed as a percent of current basal rate or asa new rate. In one possible embodiment a spin is present in the thirdcell 676 when focus is place on the cell. The user can then spin boxthrough the types of temporary rates (e.g., % of Basal or New Rate) andset the desired type.

The fourth cell 678 is for assigning the percentage of the running basalrate to set as the temporary rate. The fifth cell 680 is for setting anew rate for the temporary rate. When the user enters % of basal in thethird cell 676, the fourth cell 678 is enabled and the fifth cell 680 isdisabled. When the user enters New Rate in the third cell 676, thefourth cell 678 is disabled, and the fifth cell 680 is enabled. Thesixth cell 682 is for setting the duration of the temporary rate.

Additionally, in one possible embodiment, when the user sets the firstbutton to adjust the delivery rate as a percent of the basal rate, thecheck box 672 is set in the first cell 670 for each row 668 in whichthere is a percentage in the fourth cell 678. The check box 672 in thefirst cell 670 is cleared for each row 668 in which there is a deliveryrate value in the fifth cell 680. Similarly, when the user sets thesecond button to use a new delivery rate, the check box 672 is set inthe first cell 670 for each row 668 in which there is a delivery ratevalue in the fifth cell 680. The check box 672 in the first cell 670 iscleared for each row 668 in which there is a percentage value in thefourth cell 678.

The second panel 684 in the primary window 544 d for the temporary ratedelivery programs presents instructions. It operates in a mannersubstantially similar to the third, instruction panel 580 in the firstprimary window 544 a for the basal rate delivery programs as describedabove.

In addition to operating parameters, one possible embodiment of the userinterface 542 also enables a user to view, edit, and enter other data,character strings, and settings that are loaded on the insulin pump 100.

For example, FIG. 30E illustrates the fifth primary window 544 e, whichis for setting the banner displayed in the home page 152 of the pump100. Primary window 544 e is in the stack of primary windows 544. Thefifth primary window 544 e includes two panels. The first panel 690 hasa field check box 692 and a text field 694 mated to the checkbox 692. Toenter text into the home page 152, the user sets the checkbox 692 andenters text (numbers and letters as desired) into the text field 694. Ifthe pump 100 includes multiple home pages 152 through which the user canscroll, an embodiment of the primary window 544 e includes a checkbox692 and mating text field 694 for each of the home pages 152. The usercan then designate certain text for a particular home page 152 bysetting the checkbox 692 associated with that home page 152 and enteringtext into the mating text field 694. In an alternative embodiment, ifthe text in the text field 694 is too long to fit into one display, thepump 100 automatically generates multiple home pages 152 through whichthe user can scroll and divides the text from the text field 694 betweenthe multiple home pages 152. In another embodiment, similar text fieldsand associated checkboxes can be used to customize displays and messagesfor particular alarms, alerts, and reminders.

The second panel 696 in the primary window 544 e presents instructions.It operates in a manner substantially similar to the third, instructionpanel 580 in the first primary window 544 a for the basal rate deliveryprograms as described above.

Yet other embodiments of the user interface 542 include various windows,buttons, checkboxes, spin boxes, and fields for setting other parametersused to operate the pump 100. Examples of such other parameters that canbe set through the user interface 542 include various format settings,alarms, reminders, operating limits, report formats, security settings,character strings, and indeed any other operating parameters, data,settings, and character strings that can be programmed into the pump100.

Referring to FIGS. 30A-30E, to download the operating parametersdisplayed in an active primary window 544, the user clicks on thedownload button 686. The operating parameters relating to the activeprimary windows are then downloaded into the pump 100 over thecommunication link. The pump 100 returns the downloaded operatingparameters to the computer 534, which compares the returned operatingparameters to the sent operating parameters. If the returned and sentoperating parameters match, the computer 534 sends a handshake signal tothe pump 100 and the microprocessor 102 maps each of the downloadedoperating parameters to its designated memory addresses in RAM 116 andsaves the downloaded operating parameters in RAM 116. If the returnedand sent operating parameters do not match, the computer 534 generatesan error signal and sends the error signal to the pump 100. The pump 100then discards the downloaded operating parameters and preserves thepreexisting operating parameters already stored in RAM 116.

To upload operating parameters from the pump 100 into the active primarywindow 544, the user clicks the upload button 688. The profile settingsin RAM 116 that correspond to the active primary window 544 are thenretrieved from RAM 116 on the pump 100 and are sent to the computer 534.The uploaded operating parameters are then populated into the fields ofthe active primary window 544, including all secondary windows 554. Tosave the profile settings, the user clicks the save button 690. Theprofile settings that populate the active primary window 544 then aresaved in the storage device 538. In one possible embodiment, the name ofthe file that includes the saved data is the name of the pump user.

Furthermore, the user interface 542 can be used on the computer 534 toprogram and manage pumps 100 for several different pump users. In onesuch embodiment, the computer 534 is programmed with an initialinterface that includes a text field in which the name of the pump useris entered either through the computer keyboard or through a spin box.Upon entering the name of the pump user, the computer 534 populates thedata saved for that pump user's pump 100 into the user interface 542. Inan alternative embodiment, the computer 534 is loaded with a menu inwhich the name of each pump user having stored data is included as amenu item. Selecting the name/menu item causes the computer 534 topopulate the user interface 542 with data.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention.Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modificationsand changes that may be made to the present invention without followingthe example embodiments and applications illustrated and describedherein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of thepresent invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a medical infusion pump, the method comprising: receiving at the pump a selection of a type of alert from a plurality of types of alerts; receiving at the pump through a user interface of the pump a predetermined interval of time associated with the selected alert; associating a predetermined event relating to operation of the medical infusion pump with the selected alert; and generating an alarm signal as the alert based on the predetermined event relative to the interval of time.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving at the pump a predetermined interval of time includes receiving at the pump through the user interface an end time for the interval.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving at the pump a predetermined interval of time further includes receiving at the pump through the user interface a start time for the interval.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected type of alert can be selectively enabled or disabled and the alarm signal is only generated if the alert is enabled, and wherein the selected type of alert is stored in a memory of the pump when the alert is disabled.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving at the pump a selection of a second type of alert from the plurality of types of alerts, the second type of alert being different from the first type of alert; receiving at the pump through the user interface a second predetermined interval of time associated with the second selected alert; associating a second predetermined event relating to operation of the medical infusion pump with the second type of alert, the second predetermined event being different from the first predetermined event; and generating an alarm signal as the second alert based on the second predetermined event relative to the second interval of time.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an alarm signal as the alert based on the predetermined event relative to the interval includes generating the alarm signal an amount of time equal to a length of the interval of time after an occurrence of the predetermined event.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the type of alert is a glucose reminder and generating an alarm signal includes generating a reminder to check a blood glucose level.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined event is selected from the group consisting of: loading a Previously Presented cartridge into the pump and administering a meal bolus with the pump.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the type of alert is a display-site reminder and the predetermined event is changing an infusion set of the pump.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an alarm signal as the alert based on the predetermined event relative to the interval includes generating the alarm signal if there is no occurrence of the predetermined event within the interval of time.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the type of alert is a missed meal bolus alert and the predetermined event is delivery of a meal bolus.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the type of alert is an automatic off alert and the predetermined event is pressing of a button on the pump and generating an alarm signal includes a notification that the pump has automatically been shut off.
 13. The method of claim 1, where the types of alerts are distinguished from each other due to at least some of the types of alerts being associated with different types of predetermined events than other types of alerts.
 14. A medical infusion pump for delivering a therapeutic agent to a user, the pump comprising: a pump mechanism, an alarm, and a timer; an alarm program module in data communication with the alarm and the timer, the alarm program module programmed to operate a plurality of types of alerts and to associate a predetermined interval of time and a predetermined event relating to operation of the medical infusion pump with a selected type of alert, and wherein the alarm program module is programmed to generate an alarm signal as the alert based on the predetermined event relative to the interval.
 15. The pump of claim 14, wherein the alarm program module is programmed to receive an end time for the interval.
 16. The pump of claim 15, wherein the alarm program module is programmed to receive a start time for the interval.
 17. The pump of claim 14, wherein the alarm program module is further programmed to permit each type of alert to be selectively enabled or disabled and wherein when an alert is disabled the alert is stored in a memory of the pump.
 18. The pump of claim 14, wherein the alarm program module is further programmed to associate a second predetermined interval of time and a second predetermined event relating to operation of the medical infusion pump with a second selected type of alert, and wherein the alarm program module is programmed to generate an alarm signal as the second alert based on the second predetermined event relative to the second interval.
 19. The pump of claim 14, where the types of alerts are distinguished from each other due to at least some of the types of alerts being associated with different types of predetermined events than other types of alerts.
 20. The pump of claim 14, wherein the alarm program module is programmed to generate the alarm signal an amount of time equal to the length of the interval of time after the occurrence of the predetermined event.
 21. The pump of claim 20, wherein the type of alert is a glucose reminder and the alarm signal includes a reminder to check a blood glucose level.
 22. The pump of claim 21, wherein the predetermined event is selected from the group consisting of: loading a Previously Presented cartridge into the pump and administering a meal bolus with the pump.
 23. The pump of claim 20, wherein the type of alert is a display-site reminder and the predetermined event is changing an infusion set of the pump.
 24. The pump of claim 14, wherein the alarm program module is programmed to generate the alarm signal if there is no occurrence of the predetermined event within the interval of time.
 25. The pump of claim 24, further comprising a meal bolus module programmed to control the pump mechanism to deliver a meal bolus, and wherein the type of alert is a missed meal bolus alert and the predetermined event is delivery of a meal bolus.
 26. The pump of claim 24, wherein the type of alert is an automatic off alert and the predetermined event is pressing of a button on the pump and the alarm program module is programmed to generate an alarm signal indicating that the pump has automatically been shut off. 